Customer Reviews

When Will I Be Loved : Widescreen Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

If you are watching a naked woman taking a shower and what is communicated is not only sexuality but also power and confidence, then the performance of the actress certainly has to be credited. But writer-director James Toback also knows how to film Neve Campbell in the opening scene of "When Will I Be Loved," giving her character the time and space to make even the most juvenile minded viewers realize that there is much more than a naked body in a really great looking shower area being displayed for their gratification, whether they want to admit as much or not.

Juxtaposed with Campbell's Vera taking a shower are scenes of Fred Weller's Ford on the streets of New York, using his cell phone to hustle some deals. This montage suggests a connection and we discover Ford is Vera's boyfriend. The relationship seems one of fire and ice, for Ford is always in motion, always trying to work and con, and Vera is calm, cool, and collected. It is not until we see them making love that we have any real idea of what she gets out of the relationship, because Vera comes from money and does not need Ford to take care of her. But the idea that Vera is smarter than Ford is key to what happens in this film, as is the idea that she is as much of a con man as he is, just more subtle and decidedly more effective.

Ford's latest target is Count Tomasso Lupo (Dominic Chianese), an Italian millionaire media mogul, but all of the hustler's overtures are rebuffed until the Count sees Vera. The count is a creature of instinct and after seeing Vera a couple of times he makes Ford a counteroffer: $100,000 to sleep with Vera. At this point we are all thinking "Indecent Proposal" and the parallels are so obvious that the characters talk about that film as a reference point. But this time around we are in the realm of film noire and the rich guy is not the predator.

The DVD features "Scene Sexplorations: Vera's Sexcapades," in which the director and actress talk specifically about the four sex scenes in the film: "A Nice Hot Shower," "Girlfriends," "Ford's Big Score," and "A Tryst With a Twist." What is interesting is how they analyze all of the erotica in terms of Campbell's character, while still acknowledging the irony your first scene in a film being show naked taking a shower and, ah, having fun. My initial thought was that these scenes were more erotic than they were sexual, and I am still leaning that way, but Toback and Campbell are correct. Ultimately all four of these scenes are key moments of insight into Vera's character, each a piece of the puzzle that explains why the end game in "When Will I Be Loved" plays out the way that it does.

Do not be distracted by some of what Toback throws in the way. You can make Lori Singer's appearance fit, but you might strip a few gears trying to make sense of Mike Tyson claiming he is not Mike Tyson in this one. "Vera's Sexcapades" really are the best parts of the film because they are at the center of the film. The best scene is the verbal dance that Vera and Tomasso have when they are finally alone together in her apartment. You can make the argument that the Count is also a con-man, but with an elegance that Ford would never appreciate. Vera not only appreciates that level, she can play there, and when she learns what Ford has not told her about the situation she decides to play her own game.

I like the idea that Vera basically changes direction on the fly, but if the ending of "When Will I Be Loved" is not contrived it is certainly extremely convenient. But this film comes down to Vera's character and Campbell's performance (although her nudity probably got more press). Vera remains a woman of mystery at the end, but if we never understand why she wants to be the assistant to Hassan al-Ibrahim ben Rabinowitz, professor of African-American studies, we know why she puts Ford and Tamasso through the wringer, and that is more important to the plot. Hopefully Campbell's performance will help her move beyond the Scream Queen stage, because she has several nice moments in this 2004 film and when I say her best moments are often when she is not talking I am still talking about her performance, no matter what the adolescent boys of America might think.

"When Will I Be Loved?" is a psychosexual snippet written and directed by James Toback. It doesn't seem like a complete story, but a vague character study of a sexually adventurous young woman named Vera (Neve Campbell) who has a way of knowing what she wants and getting it from just about everyone she meets. She allows her lover, Ford (Frederick Weller), a fast-talking hustler always out to make a buck, to introduce her to a wealthy Italian media mogul (Dominic Chianese) who desires her passionately, in exchange for payment in cash.

Vera is interesting, because she knows exactly what she wants and where the source of her power lies. It's not surprising that she succeeds given those conditions. But Vera is so narcissistic that she is thoroughly unlikable. And the character study fails in that her motives are often inscrutable. She seems to know what she wants and perhaps even why she wants it. But we don't. Vera has money. She has power. She may be looking for love, although she has an odd way of going about it. She certainly wants revenge. But that's not the whole story. The film does make the audience wonder about Vera, but we also wonder what the point of it all is. A lot of men want to help Vera discover herself through them. They see her as they want her to be. And she takes advantage. But that's not news. And what advantage she sees in it isn't clear.

Neve Campbell and Frederick Weller contribute good performances. The first third of the film is spent establishing the characters by cross-cutting between them, soundtrack blaring. That's too long and too loud. "When Will I Be Loved?" may be of some interest if you're a fan of psychosexual intrigue. But if I had to describe the film in one word, it would be "inconclusive", both narratively and thematically.

The DVD: Bonus features include an audio commentary by director James Toback, a theatrical trailer, and "Scene Sexplorations", which Neve Campbell and James Toback discuss 4 of the film's most sexual scenes. In the audio commentary, James Toback talks about directorial decisions, story, characters, and filming (which only took 12 days). It's a nice commentary if the movie intrigues you. Subtitles for the film are available in English and Spanish.

The show opens and seems to be two separate films. In the first, Neve Campbell seems to be a young woman who is looking for a relationship and job, trying to find her way in New York. She seems to be sexually adventurous but naïve. In the second, we see young hustler scheming to make a variety of cons. He is a shifty character who is easy to dislike. Only the second part is correct.

The woman is exploring her sexuality but she is anything but innocent. The hustler is her boyfriend who not only appreciates her beauty but appreciates that she is independently wealthy. He wants to use her in every sense of the word. He finds himself used instead.

The girl uses her sexuality as a weapon and it is not merely a defensive weapon. She uses it to get want she wants and sometimes what she wants is just to stick it to someone else. It is a potent weapon she wields with skill. The path of destruction she leaves is awesome in its thoroughness and casual attitude towards right and wrong. Some of the victims are deserving. The hustler comes to mind. Others are less so; the Italian billionaire is merely smitten and has too much money but does not deserve his fate. Other victims are just that: victims. The parents who think their daughter is a nice girl come most readily to mind but so does anyone else who mistakenly crosses her path.

This is a good example of artful moviemaking but I did not enjoy it overly much. The camera work is well done as is the acting. The nudity is brief, in context and not explicit. The problem for me is the lack of joy. It is a sad tale.

After reading many of the earlier reviews I can only conclude that the reviewers were watched one movie and wrote about another. The movie seemed to be a series of isolated conversations that made no real sense.

The back of the DVD case leads you to believe this is a 'smoldering erotic thriller'. I guess the movie is so short (only 81 minuts) because all the eroticism ended up on the cutting room floor. When Will I Be Loved is almost as erotic as a Kermit the Frog cartoon.

I recomand this DVD only to people that are planing a lawn party and nave a need for miniature frisbies.

One star only because I can not award a lower number.

A rich, bored woman seeks "forbidden" thrills in paid liaisons, with tragic results. Uh, oh. This sounds like the Belle de Jour" Syndrome ("BdJS") movie. BdJS is characterized by: pretentiousness; lack of a plot; sneering at middle-class values; aimlessness; stilted dialogue; nihilism; poor writing; false titillation. An epiphenomenon of BdJS is classification of the movie by critics as "minimalist," which is a fancy way of saying empty, moralistic and with low production values.

The first major American movie to suffer from BdJS was 1977's "Looking For Mr. Goodbar." By 1977 there wasn't much shock and outrage left in pop culture to be mined out by the "forbidden" thrills of examining a generally sleazy lifestyle, but at least Diane Keaton gave it her best shot. By 1993's BdJS-infused "Indecent Proposal," no shock or outrage remained at all. By 2004, when this movie was made, the idea of sleazy "forbidden" liaisons was -- and is -- passé to the point of obnoxiousness.

Why is it that no one ever seems to think past the title "erotic thriller"? Think about things like plot, characterization, acting? Oh, the awful effects of BdJS.

Pretentiousness. Oh my goodness. The annoying chamber music, coming in and out as subtly as a slap on the rump. The pseudo-intellectual banter. The glasses of red wine. The modern art. At one point Ms Campbell states to her Italian suitor: "I'm not impressed, either. I'm intrigued." I'll do you one better. I was neither.

The false titillation. When I saw "In the Cut," another BdJS movie, I was both enervated and repulsed by just about everything except Ms Ryan, because at least that movie actually showed Ms Ryan's body. Not the case with "When Will I Be Loved?" The vaunted shower scenes actually reveal quite little, and what they do reveal is over in a flash. The same-sex love scene was performed behind a gauzy curtain, and was remarkably chaste, much to the chagrin of my prurient and adolescent mind. I couldn't even tell if it was really Ms Campbell or a body double.

After watching movies like these I always recite to myself a line from Full Metal Jacket. "I think you've been cheated!" Gunnery Sergeant Hartman at one point barks to a new recruit. Yes, Gunny, I know.

With a movie where in the beginning Neve Campbell (Scream Trilogy, Wild Things) is nude in the shower, this movie should be a interesting movie? Well, now that I mention it, no it's not that interesting. Oh, by the way she's also nude in the shower at the end as well...ok, yeah, gotta point that out as well. Campbell plays one real sexual girl, walking up to men she doesnt even know and getting numbers from them.....calling a girlfriend over so they can kiss and pleasure each other behind a window curtain and getting involved with an over the top hustler boyfriend, played by Frederick Weller in the films most annoying performance and Campbell then does this Indecent Proposal scenario where she sleeps with a big honcho mucho rich guy, played by Dominic Chianese and he pays her a million bucks to do the deed with him and from there they get a little bit deadly, if you know what I mean. This runs 81 minutes and the movie spanned on and felt like it was more then 81 minutes. Campbell is OK and James Toback does what he can but with unlikeable characters and a weak story, When Will I Be Loved should be retitled When Will This Movie End. Also starring Mike Tyson and Karen Allen (Animal House). Mike Tyson kinda plays himself yet again in another Toback flick...he played himself in Toback's film Black & White.

This was one weird and rather pretentious movie, but it held my interest. It did feel like writer/director Toback forgot to write a third act. Neve Campbell plays a manipulative sexpot whose boyfriend (Fred Weller) prostitutes her to some rich older Italian guy (Dominic Chianese). The situation is pretty much ripped off from "Indecent Proposal." Toback's film is interesting outside of the plot, especially in the introductory sequence, which cuts back and forth between Campbell and Weller without telling us how they're connected. Through out this film we have some odd cameos thrown in by real people not really playing themselves, including Mike Tyson, Lori Singer, rapper Damon Dash, let alone writer/director James Toback himself playing the name-dropping Professor Hassan al-Ibrahim ben Rabinowitz.

I believe Neve Campbell could have done better than this soft-core porn. In this story her character seemed to have it all, but yet still wanted to rebel and test the boundaries, and she needed the million dollars like a hole in the head, since the doting parents were already giving her everything she needed. I won't say how it ended, but it could have been done differently instead of it ending abruptly and unsatisfactorily.

I agree with the some reviewers who said that the music was overdone and too loud. I think that was probably done on purpose, to cover up all the lame scenes that would have been horrifically boring otherwise without some sort of distraction. The only really watchable scene that caught my interest was with her and Dominic Chianese. The dialogue and acting during their scene was really interesting.

Of course, if you've heard about this movie at all - and most have not, I think - it's because of Neve's naked body. She did the sex thing, and even the lesbian thing, way back in "Wild Things." That was just barely a step above pornography. The year before that, Neve worked with Robert Altman, in a project which she herself initiated. I guess with "When Will I Be Loved," she decided that, now that she's becoming a respectful actress, she had to do an art movie where she gets naked and makes out with a girl. In reality, this is about a step and a half above porn.

Other than that it's an interesting little film that has a good performance by Campbell and while this is not exactly riveting in terms of drama it does give fans of Toback another chance to view his unique talent.

The type of characters that are portrayed in When Will I Be Loved are common in New York City. The fast talking hustler, the self important intellectual, the rich and irresponsible girl with the world at her fingertips. It all seems so real and familiar.

The title of this movie implies that we will see something profound, a young woman seeking a true connection with love. Yet the movie is not about this at all. It's really just about two timing hustlers trying to hustle each other because they have way too much time and money on their hands. In the end, this title should have been reserved for a much better script.

The Story and the Script

The main problem with this movie is the lack of a truly strong story line. Ford's character is manipulative and clearly obsessed with seeming more important and connected than he is. Yet Neve Cambbell plays a girl that is hardly interesting and manipulative in more subtle ways. We see her randomly jump from scene to scene of banal social interaction and sexual exploration. And we see him walking from scene to scene trying to have pointless meetings and looking for the next sucker to take advantage of.

When a wealthy man, Dominic Chianese of The Sopranos, wants to sleep with Neve at all costs, one is never really convinced of the most important part of that: Why??? Somebody with unlimited money would probably have set their glance on a much more interesting woman.

All of the plot elements seem forced. People have encounters with famous people, seemingly just so that they can have cameos in this movie. While Black & White employed this technique with a little more purpose, here it is used as an old stand by and seems to actually interfere with the story. And the climax of the movie is neither believable nor is it impactful. It just makes you wonder, was this the original script or the result of too many cooks in the kitchen?

There are some great actors working in this movie, as well as some good ones. The handheld camera work is effective for the city scenes, even if it is overused. And the art direction and sound work on the movie were also very good. But none of the positives can redeem a story with no connection to its title and no believable or compelling elements.

Conclusion

This movie should be avoided at all costs. No matter how much you may like gratuitous nudity and sex in films, even the short length of this movie may be too long to bear. On the other hand, if you are having trouble getting to sleep this might do the trick.

Neve Campbell gets to play a role that's nice and sexy on the outside, but deep down inside she's bored as well, and is ready to use and abuse the men that she's involved with. It's very different from most of her other movies, more daring than Wild Things, and the opposite of The Company. In this slow-paced and dioalogue driven, and minimal plot film, Campbell is the focal point, and eveything else just doesn't seem to work as a thriller.
At first, we see Campbell(Vera) taking a shower in a fancy bathroom in an expensive loft her parents bought for her in NY. Meanwhile, her boyfriend/pimp(Ford/Frederic Weller) still busy on the phone trying to arrange a gig, and his latest target is the Italian billionaire(Dominic Chianese). Ford ran into one of his ex, and she wanted to him to pay him back the big chunk of money that he owed her. So he's very desperate to make some money. Vera is rich, and she doesn't have to make a living like Ford, and she does things for fun in a way. She pretty much uses Ford as a sex object, and it was obvious that she doesn't love him. Love is not what she cares about. Vera was offered a hundred thousand for to sleep with Chianese, but she demanded one million, and he gave her the money in cash. Afterwards, she lied to her boyfriend that she was not paid a cent, and that Chianese was a fraud. At that point things got very ugly.....
By the time, Vera takes a shower again, she seemed very "fulfilled" after causing misery and tragedy for others, and she smiled at herself in the mirror, and this very moment, I thought she had become Glenn Close in Dangerous Liasons!

James Toback's WHEN WILL I BE LOVED gives Neve Campbell a great opportunity to play a well-rounded, interesting, sexual character. The movie belongs to her. If the plot of the film -presented when the film settles down from its really long first act to show us the story - were as complicated as Campbell's character Vera is, then this would be a great film.

As it is, it's a good movie with a great performance in it, which makes it worth watching.

The film features a con in it, I suppose, but it is not your typical, twisted con movie. But WHEN WILL I BE LOVED is more interested in conversation and character, thankfully. Vera is a great character, and others in the film just revolve around her. She overshadows everyone else, so I didn't end up as invested in the plot.

Additionally, the opening act of the film, which follows four or five separate points of view and features cameos from Mike Tyson and Lori Singer, doesn't prepare you at all for the mood the rest of the film is going to take on.

When it does get to the plot, it becomes a great, interesting movie about three characters. If only there had been more of that. But so little happens in the actual plot that, when the movie ends, it feels a bit disappointing.