GOODBYE, LOVER A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Roland Joffé's GOODBYE, LOVER is the old tale of cross and doublecross. Although the movie is entertaining, it's rarely fresh or imaginative. Ron Peer's script is quite predictable, once you realize that every relationship will contain a twist.
In the picture's best performance, Patricia Arquette plays a sexy, platinum blonde named Sandra Dunmore, who plans on sleeping her way to riches. She loves nothing better than engaging in risky sexual adventures. In the opening, she sticks a Bach diskette in the church organ and then pins the organist to the floor. As the choir sings in the chapel, she has intense sex with her husband's brother, Ben (Don Johnson). A real estate sales agent, she likes to take Ben along on house calls when the owners are out. She handcuffs Ben to the furniture and has her way with him.
Besides being erotic, Arquette is also wonderfully quirky. She enjoys hamming it up as she listens to cassettes. She repeats Anthony Robbins's advice with him, and she sings along with Julie Andrews in THE SOUND OF MUSIC.
Dermot Mulroney plays Sandra's flaky husband. The performances by both Mulroney and Johnson are bland and unconvincing. Mary-Louise Parker, in a role slightly out of character for her, plays Ben's co-worker and possible girlfriend, Peggy. Peggy likes sex, but prefers old Joan Crawford movies. Mildred Pierce is her favorite. The scene in which she and Ben almost make love is one of the movie's more promising ones. But, like the rest of the movie, it is only partially successful.
The story's comedic role is given to Ellen DeGeneres as cynical Sgt. Rita Pompano, who comes to the Dunmore house to investigate some possible foul play. Sgt. Pompano badmouths everyone and doesn't believe any story she is told. This trait comes in handy since truth is not something that comes easy to the Dunmores.
The story, which starts off as a promisingly erotic thriller, loses its way by the end of the first act. Degenerating into a cinematic retread of many movies you've seen before, it earns that kiss of death summary: It's kind of cute.
GOODBYE, LOVER runs 1:42. It is rated R for violence, profanity and sex and would be fine for older teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: www.InternetReviews.com
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