She's So Lovely (1997) Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, John Travolta. Directed by Nick Cassavetes.
Rated R, 4 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com/film/ Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott
Maureen and Eddie are crazy in love. They live in a run-down apartment in a seedy neighborhood. Maureen spends a great deal of her time looking for Eddie, who disappears a lot. Despite being pregnant, she smokes and drinks while wandering around complaining about her husband and seeking a little company. Eddie is an alcoholic, prone towards oddly poetic statements and bursts of irrational behavior. Maureen and Eddie are a mess, not the easiest people to be around, but one thing is for sure, they are crazy in love with each other.
Their devotion is the core of "She's So Lovely", a gritty character study starring Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn and John Travolta. Actor and independent film director John Cassavetes wrote the script 20 years ago, intending to star in the film along with his wife, Gena Rowlands. Shortly before his death in 1989, Cassavetes rewrote the screenplay for Sean Penn, who initially planned only to direct the film. Eventually, Cassavetes' son Nick became director, with Mr. And Mrs. Penn playing the lead roles. The film is divided into two acts. In the first, a burly neighbor (James Gandolfini) invites Maureen (Wright Penn) out for some friendly drinking and dancing. When they return to their apartment building, it becomes clear that his intentions are more than friendly and he assaults the mother-to-be. She concocts a story to tell Eddie about her bruises, prompting him to slur "That's all I get; fables to cover foibles". Eventually, Eddie goes postal during a drunken binge and ends up institutionalized in a mental hospital. Maureen desperately assures him that he'll be better in "three months or so". The second half of the film takes place ten years later, as Eddie is released from the hospital, unaware of how much time has passed. He learns that Maureen has remarried and has three children, two from new husband Joey (John Travolta). His head still fuzzy from years of medication, Eddie sets off to fetch his wife.
"She's So Lovely" was a hit at the Cannes Film Festival, garnering a Best Actor award for Penn. He deserves it. Penn's acting is nothing short of dazzling in this film. He invests great detail into Eddie, creating a damaged man who is both simple-minded and remarkably complex. There are hints of other characters in Eddie, everyone from Joe Pesci's explosive thug in "Goodfellas" to Dustin Hoffman's autistic savant from "Rainman", but Eddie remains a unique and compelling individual. When he tells a friend "You can't see my obscurity", the line feels real, the kind of statement one might make while groping through a fog of drunkenness and near-psychosis. Eddie is a lost man, tethered to this earth only by his unwavering love for his wife Maureen.
Robin Wright Penn throws herself totally into the role of Maureen. Her New York accent goes over the top periodically, but her character is credible nonetheless. With dark eyes and an uneven gait, Maureen is compulsive and abrasive. She takes care of her daily activities in a perfunctory manner, with her inner demons lurking just beneath the surface. Maureen isn't particularly likable, but she certainly is fascinating. The real-life chemistry between the Penns transfers onto the screen smoothly, their scenes together are electric.
John Travolta does fine work in his supporting role as Maureen's second husband. Realizing there would be no screen time to establish the back- story for his character, Travolta makes every moment count. Bursting with nervous energy, his Joey is a devoted husband and father who dreads Eddie's arrival, knowing deep inside that while Maureen is his wife, Eddie is her one true love.
"She's So Lovely" is an odd bird, a love story about people its hard to like. Maureen is self-destructive and very angry, Joey swears constantly in front of his young daughters, and Eddie is just plain nuts, but Cassavetes' script and the skilled cast locate the sweetness within these unpleasant people. Despite the horrible behavior of their parents, the three daughters are bright, well spoken young women. That seems incongruous initially, but in the end it really makes sense. Despite all the swearing and histrionics, Eddie, Maureen and Joey are essentially decent people, and decent people produce secure children. And despite all the grit and ugliness, "She's So Lovely" is a pure and simple love story. Thanks to the wonderful performances from Penn, Wright Penn and Travolta, it's a memorable one as well.
Copyright 1997, Ed Johnson-Ott
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