LIVING OUT LOUD by DeWyNGaLe Rating: B+
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Living Out Loud is the tale of adults and what life is like for them in their middle age years. It portrays life realistically, not like some other films do. Judith Nelson, played by Holly Hunter, is the center of attention in this film. Judith is a woman who has been recently separated from her husband who was cheating on her while they were married. She now lives alone, and doesn't have a lot to do. She loves to watch her favorite singer, Liz Bailey, played by Queen Latifah perform. She also likes to meet people and talk to people. She likes to observe others. One night coming home, she meets a man who runs the elevator. His name is Pat, and he is played by the very talented actor Danny DeVito. They get to talking and Judith comes to find out that he recently lost his daughter. Out of sympathy, she invites him for coffee, and the two get to know each other. Throughout the film, the two become close friends. Judith also forms a friendship with Liz after one of her performances. The rest of the film just shows these three interesting people and what goes on in their day to day lives.
The relationship between Pat and Judith is so realistic and developed. Pat falls in love with Judith, but she does not have the same feelings for him. The two continue to get to know each other and end up being the closest of friends. Judith is glad she has another friend, but she still isn't happy with her life. She doesn't want her life to be wasted. She wants to live her life fully. She decides she doesn't want to be with a man, because then someone will be stopping her from doing what she is trying to do with her life. On the other hand, the divorced Pat feels completely differently. He wants to spend the rest his life with Judith.
Living Out Loud is one of the best comedies of the year. There isn't much to the cinematography or the sound to this one, but it is a very open, true to life comedy, which makes it all the funnier. Some of the funniest sequences in the movie are when Judith starts daydreaming about the way she pictures things, or the way she wants life to be. Sometimes these daydreams are not so funny though, but they are very sad and emotional. Judith is very open to life, and that's what makes her one of the best characters in a movie I have seen in awhile.
The best thing in Living Out Loud is the fact that the adults portrayed in the film are very real to life. They seem like middle-aged people are, rather than characters that seem like they are still very young. Danny DeVito in particular played his part very realistically. His character of Pat was a very likable one, and also one that you sympathized for very easily. Holly Hunter's character was also a great one that brought tons of laughs. She was a very interesting person, and that's what made the character all the more likable. Holly Hunter was wonderful as Judith. Judith was a character that had suffered many hardships in her life. All of the characters, including Queen Latifah's Liz, are extremely interesting people. There isn't much plot in Living Out Loud. It doesn't really seem like the film is a film at all, but more of a documentary on real life people. It seemed like I was watching these people secretly, without them knowing it.
The Bottom Line- A true to life, emotional film about people that almost seem real. Not actors.
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