Of romance and other languages
Added 8/29/2009
It's rare very rare in these days to explore forgiveness and grace when you are speaking of romance. The persona of both the main characters in the love interest here Mandy Moore and Bill Cudrup are excellent choices by the casting crew.
Both of them are extremely suited for their roles, Bill Cudrup as the product of a typical abusive childhood and Mandy Moore as the product of a "normal" childhood. Immediately the audience can relate to two personal emotions in this romance, frustrated manhood for Henry Roth (Cudrup) and unrequited love for any young woman Lucy Reilly(Moore) great hair. Cudrup is great because even if he is socially handicapped he remains attractive (think James Dean) and Moore is of course the wonderful girl next door.
The antiheroes that keep popping up are the alter egos of Bill's character and Mandy's old rotten boyfriend Jeremy. The ex boyfriend Jeremy is everyone's ex boyfriend who could not or would not be the man he was meant to be. Jeremy keeps for selfish reasons trying to get back to the place he was before, proving that brilliance as a writer does not make you smart or likeable. Lucy Reilly has moments with her overanxious and over bearing mother played quite convincingly (dianne Weist)and with perfect timing. Through the interestind scenes all Lucy never loses her ability to love or to maintain her own dignity more importantly her sense of self in the plot. It is not cloying but timely, and you can see how the lovers begin to long for each other as they walk into their love scenes. Even without overt chemistry but with thorough acting they accomplish a believable romance between Henry and Lucy.
Although the movie is rated R it is thankfully not for explicit sexual content but more for foul language.
Yes there is still for many people a sense of propriety. You can look at romance as something that happens between two people or you can choose to look at it as something that happens on a much higher level. It is the level just above the heart, the one that chooses to be good for another person as the expense of ones self. You can easily and naturally see this in Mandy Moore's character which attracts men to her like a magnet, and you can see it in Bill Cudrup as he dares to leave his mental obsessiveness for the one love he "can" long for.
The only people that could hate this movie are the ones that have been made perfectly cynical by life. Given the crude nature of romance in Hollywood these days it is not suprising that this was not much bigger at the box office the sound track is very well done for anyone in their 20's. It's Hollywoods loss, and highly recommended.
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not your average romantic comedy
Added 8/9/2009
This romance has a hero who is edgier than most and not very likable on the surface. Little by little, he starts to get under your skin until you are hooked, even though he seems determined to sabotage the whole thing. Very well acted and written.
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Dedication is a depressing movie - Stay Away
Added 7/13/2009
I really enjoy most of Mandy Moores movies, but this certainly is not one of them. I wouldn't waste my time watching it, not even as a renter.
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One of my favorite movies
Added 3/23/2009
Well directed, well written and well acted. There's a humor in the story that isn't common. This film is a sleeper. One person will watch it and dismiss it as just another romantic comedy, and another will see it for what it actually is: multiple talents working together to create an excellent movie. Loved it.
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Offbeat, but ultimately unlikeable
Added 2/23/2009
Billy Crudup plays a misanthropic self-hater full of obsessive quirks that make no sense and that turn him into an extraordinarily unlikeable schmuck. Therefore, the film makes no sense in its attempt to redeem him with Mandy Moore playing his baby-talking foil. His relationship with his late father appears to be his central reason d'etre, but that makes no sense either. The plot makes out another guy to be worse than Billy because he wrote two dedications to his pending book, one for Mandy Moore and one for another girlfriend, depending on which one takes him back. Got it? In the end, this film is annoying, but it is certainly not the lightweight romantic comedy you figure it is from the packaging. Watch it if you like Mandy Moore.
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