LOVE AND SEX directed by Valerie Breiman (Lions Gate, 82 minutes)
and
SMILING FISH AND GOAT ON FIRE directed by Kevin Jordan (Stratosphere, 90 minutes)
Los Angeles is the city of angels, where the sun always shines and the stars walk the streets; where earthquakes and riots do little to phase the happy lives of the smiling citizens. But, according to two new romantic comedies, the fair city has its share of lonely young folk. Whether they're single and looking or stuck in dating hell, these twenty-somethings are all searching for something better.
Valerie Breiman's Love & Sex is a semi-autobiographical story of life in L.A.'s dating game. Famke Janssen plays Kate, a tall, attractive magazine journalist who is forced to write a woman's guide to love and sex in one day. So, of course, Kate turns to her own experiences for inspiration.
She has had her share of men, from a sixth-grade sweetheart to a married maniac to her high-school French teacher. But only one lover ever has a real impact upon Kate. His name is Adam (Jon Favreau); an artist with everyday looks and cozy charm. Having slept with only three women, he is intimidated by Kate's sexual experience, but that is part of what makes him her ideal man. Soon, the two settle down for what is the most genuine, meaningful and tough relationship of Kate's life.
Love & Sex is not unlike many other recent romantic-comedies, including the superior High Fidelity. But the film has a special charm because it portrays the everyday moments of the lives people in love. For example, Kate isn't above farting in front of Adam, and Adam doesn't mind making fun of her abnormally large feet.
Famke Janssen, a former Bond-girl, is terrific as Kate, proving to be as adept at humor as she is at action (she also starred in this summer's X-Men). Jon Favreau makes an affable love interest, using his everyman demeanor to its full effect. And, after helming a couple calamitous 80's T&A flicks ("Going Overboard" and "Bikini Squad"), former actress Valerie Breiman seems to be headed in the right direction.
Love & Sex isn't quite as witty or insightful as Favreau's own Swingers, but, thanks to wonderful performances by two young stars, it's an ideal date flick.
Smiling Fish and Goat On Fire, on the other hand, is an ideal movie for anyone, anytime, anywhere. It was shot in twelve days for a measly $40,000, but the film has enough heart to make any low-budget limitations invisible. Smiling Fish could be this year's The Brothers McMullen.
The title refers to the two names given to brothers Chris and Tony, by their Native American grandmother, to emphasize their contrasting personalities. Chris (Derick Martini) is a moody and often serious accountant, earning the title Goat on Fire. Tony (Steven Martini) is a fun-loving, out-of-work actor; always a Smiling Fish.
Chris' relationship with a long-time girlfriend is disintegrating when he meets Anna (Rosemarie Addeo), a beautiful Italian animal wrangler with whom he is smitten. He also befriends his boss' 80-year-old uncle Clive (Bill Henderson), a retired sound man from the glory days of the original African-American motion picture studio. With his knowledge of romance and lessons of life, Clive becomes the emotional center of the film.
Tony can't seem to go a day without attracting new women, but his string ends when he falls for Kathy (Christa Miller), his mail-carrier. A single mother with an outspoken young daughter, Kathy plans to move back to Wyoming if her daughter doesn't get the role on a TV show; a show that Tony is also trying out for.
Of all the relationships in the film, the strongest is between Chris and Tony. They live together in a nice home, and share a strong bond that their romantic relationships have never seemed to break. Siblings Derick and Steve Martini (who also co-wrote the film) play off their real-life brotherhood wonderfully.
Smiling Fish and Goat On Fire, which is being "presented" by longtime independent film supporter Martin Scorsese, won the Discovery Award at the Toronto Film Festival, and has been riding a wave of deserving applause ever since. It's a warm, life-affirming film, which is more than can be said of most so-called romantic comedies.
-Akiva Gottlieb
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