Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Multiple Courses of a Feast of Love, February 11, 2008
It is always puzzling when films of the caliber of FEAST OF LOVE are short-lived in the theaters, usually scantily attended in the shadows of the big, mean, noisy blockbusters. And when film buffs begin to believe that the meaningful movies only come from foreign sources, out pops the DVD release of a jewel like this film, a story so well written (Allison Burnett), directed (Robert Benton), and acted by a gifted cast to show under scrutiny that it is the equal of the best of the 'sensitive films'.
Based on a novel by Charles Baxter (and adapted by Allison Burnett, another extraordinary writer of his own novels CHRISTOPHER: A TALE OF SEDUCTION and THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL), the story takes place in Portland, Oregon and examines the lives and love stories of myriad characters, each of whom is connected in some way to the father confessor of the town, one elderly professor Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman) who not only narrates the threads of the people's lives that round out this film, but also plays a significant role as a father of an only son who died in the recent past from a heroin overdose, a man bruised and experienced in the vagaries of life, supported by his wife Esther (Jane Alexander), both of whom cope with their loss by extending their love to young people.
Bradley Thomas (Greg Kinnear) is an artist and an optimist who own Jitters, a coffee shop, and is married to Kathryn (Selma Blair) who loves sports...and leaves him for a woman who awakens her lesbian longings. A young recovering drug abuser Oscar (Toby Hemingway) works in Bradley's shop and in a magic moment falls in love with a sensitive free spirit named Chloe (Alexa Davalos) and is hired by Bradley on a whim. Bradley doesn't understand the complications of love: he is an optimistic romantic, but with an indomitable spirit that allows him to progress through marriages like a hero! Searching for a place to live after his marriage fails, he meets real estate agent Diana (Rhadha Mitchell) who despite the fact that she is having an extended love affair with married David (Billy Burke), a relationship consisting solely of 'nooners' with wine and sex, sees the rare vulnerable goodness in Bradley and once again Bradley is in love, headed toward marriage. Meanwhile Oscar and Chloe share dreams for a perfect future despite a problem with Oscar's alcoholic abusive father Bat (Fred Ward) and some ominous warnings from palmist/card reader (Margo Martindale). At the heart of each of these affairs of the heart is the supportive Professor Harry, a wise man who observes reality and yet retains the courage to offer advice and love to all of the characters. In a short time Bradley's marriage to Diana fails as Diana returns to the now available David, and in a moment of angst Bradley wounds himself, is taken to a Dr. Vikashi (Erika Marozsán) for treatment and ends up falling in love yet again - and this time the feeling is wholly mutual. And just when the playing field of love seems even, a major tragedy occurs which bonds all of the players surrounding the wise Harry and Esther and the resolution of all of the aspects of the feast of love come round.
What makes this film so very successful is the gentle manner in which it is written and directed and acted. There is not a weak element here in this survey of the power and force of love. Some may find the generous scenes of lovemaking a problem, but these scenes are in integral part of the story and never border on the superfluous or gratuitous level. The cast is excellent: the pleasure of seeing actors of this wide age range work together in such a fine ensemble manner is doubtless due in large part to not only the individual actors of quality but also to the director. This is a beautiful film, happy and sad, tender and enriching, and hopefully will be seen by a large audience now that it is available on DVD. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 08
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Come all to the feast!, March 16, 2008
This is, in short, one of the best films I've seen in a long time. It is well done and has a terrific cast. Any movie w/Morgan Freeman in it automatically has its rating boosted by a star or so. He's one of those actors who can stare into a camera for 5 minutes, say a 5 word sentence and you'll swear it was the most profound thing you've ever heard in your life.
The film is about a social circle which consists of some very diverse people. One is a college professor on sabbatical (Freeman), one is a cafe owner (Greg Kinnear) while two characters are employees of the cafe (Billy Burke & Alexa Davalos). The plot is not focused, but to me that's a good thing. It is like an overview of "everyday lives" of people within the circle.
Kinnear's character is a poster boy for the mantra that nice guys finish last. His persona's luck with women is almost as bad as mine. He's a great person who always means well, but his downfall is that he's also incredibly naive. He is intelligent, but he is prone to either over-interpreting minor events or being oblivious to major events which transpire in his life. Freeman's character is a sort of mentor for him, but at times he appears to be a lost soul.
There are some profound philosophical themes in the film which are downright Schopenhauresque. In addition, there is also an allusion (deliberate or not) to a scene from Jean Paul Satre in which a character puts a nail through his hand just so he can feel something, or to see if he can feel @ all.
Many viewers are likely to contend that the film is filled with gratuitous nudity. I would disagree. While I've never been opposed to nudity in films (and never will be!), there are some movies I've seen where the nudity was contrived. Not so in this film.
Rather, to me, the nude scenes are realistic. Alexa Davalos and Radha Mitchell are very beautiful, to be sure, but they surely weren't cast for this film as eye-candy. [Mitchell reminds me a lot of Denise Crosby, BTW] The scenes in which they strip down do(!) flow with the trajectory of the story. In my mind, this movie is, quite simply, brutally honest. Yes, it IS possible for 2 people to get caught in compromising positions. Yes, it is also possible for 2 people to get into a big argument after making love. In such a circumstance, it would be contrived for the couple to put their clothes on so they could continue arguing. It's just like in so many flicks I've seen where two people make love & in the next scene it shows them still in bed, but miraculously w/their underwear on. Everyone knows such scenes are nonsense. This movie, for one, doesn't pander to such unrealistic scenes.
I would invite the people who gave this 3 stars or less to give it another view. I truly believe that this is one movie where there is more than meets the eyes. It is about love, to be sure, but it goes beyond Romantic love to also include the love involved with parenting issues as well. The characters are complex and, with the exception of one lone character, they can't be placed into categories of "good" and "evil." The film also accurately details how a couple that has broken up can(!) in fact remain friends - provided that the conditions are just right. Normally, Radha Mitchell's character would be your typical femme fatale, but this DVD gets beyond that typical pigeonhole.
I realize I've mumbled quite a lot, but this is a very difficult film to critique. Not because it's bad, but because there are so many different angles to it. I do believe that anyone looking for an honest, sincere account of love & relationships will be stirred by the present film. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will run add this one to my all-time-favorites Amazon list.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasant romance, February 6, 2008
I have read that this was a difficult book to adapt for the screen since the book was written from many points of view. I think Benton did a good job, as it seems to flow effortlessly from one character to the next, tied together by Morgan Freeman's narration.
This romance is a story of love and loss, and is somewhat predictable and contrived.... but it still provides a couple of hours of viewing enjoyment. Some of it is depressing, as it depicts the ups and downs of love, but it also has moments of great tenderness. I also thought the acting was very good and look forward to seeing some of the new (to me) faces in other roles in the future.
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