_I'm_Losing_You_ ** 1/2 (out of ****)
The one time the titular line is uttered in Bruce Wagner's adaptation of his own novel of the same name is within the context of a cellular phone conversation--as in, one is "losing" the signal on the phone. But the "loss" that is the main concern of this downbeat drama is the ultimate one--loss of life. Television producer Perry (Frank Langella) learns he has terminal cancer at the beginning of the film, and that is indeed just the start of it. His struggling actor son Bertie (Andrew McCarthy) sells life insurance policies for dying AIDS patients, and he falls in love with a deceptively healthy-looking HIV-positive woman (Elizabeth Perkins). When Bertie's adoptive sister--and natural cousin--Rachel (Rosanna Arquette) begins to learn the truth about her birth parents' deaths, it sets her life on a morbid journey of self-discovery. And so on.
Well-acted and competently directed, _I'm_Losing_You_ does accomplish what Wagner has obviously set out to do, which is create this overwhelming and exhausting sense of melancholy. But a few flaws in his script keep the film from being a complete success. Some late-inning plot developments are forced and contrived; even less convincing is the annoyingly inconsistent character of Rachel, who undergoes radical shifts according to the needs of the plot. As the film wears on, the title could very easily be something Wagner says in reference to the audience. (opens July 23)
Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23
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