 | |
List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 23538
Released: May 27, 2003 |
| Our Price: $7.99 |
| Used Price: $2.38 |
|
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Following the unexplained suicide of his wife, Liza, website designer Wilson Joel (Hoffman) turns to gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law (Bates). Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman (Punch-Drunk Love, 25th Hour, Magnolia), Academy Award Winner Kathy Bates (About Schmidt, Primary Colors, Titantic).
Description of Love Liza:
A finely detailed character study, Love Liza offers yet another excellent performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Written by Hoffman's brother Gordy (who won the Best Screenplay award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival) and directed by first-timer Todd Louiso (an actor best known for memorable roles in Jerry Maguire and High Fidelity), this poignant, offbeat drama focuses intently on Wilson Joel (Hoffman), a computer programmer whose wife has recently committed suicide, leaving Wilson a sealed note that he can't bring himself to read, despite the urgings of his grieving mother-in-law (played to perfection by Kathy Bates). As Wilson huffs gasoline fumes to numb his emotional anguish, Love Liza unfolds as a patiently measured study of grief and loss (like the similarly themed Moonlight Mile), and Louiso shows great promise as a sensitive observer of authentic human behavior. With humor and heartbreak, Love Liza taps into what Hoffman does best. --Jeff Shannon
Love Liza Reviews:
Hilarious and tragic at the same time 
2009-10-05 - I am a fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman and indie films in general so this movie already had a lot going for it. Although the premise of the story and Hoffman's portrayal of it is extremely depressing, I found myself laughing uncontrollably at some of the situations the main character finds himself in. At times the story seems to be moving along slowly, but before you know it, the movie is over. This is one of those few movies that I have been able to watch multiple times.
A Downer for all the Wrong Reasons 
2009-08-30 - There are plenty of reviews deriding this film for being a depressing downer. How can that be a worthy criticism? If the viewer didn't know the film was likely to be bleak, not only were they going in blind, they should stick to Rob Schneider movies.
Love Liza had the potential to be a great, depressing, heart wrenching film along the emotional lines of Ordinary People or About Schmidt. The backbone of Hoffman's wife's suicide is a solid foundation for a film of true impact. Even the strange, adult addiction of huffing gasoline isn't a bad idea but, regardless, this whole film was spotty at best. I wanted the full frontal depression it should have delivered and all I got was, "huh?"
The three main components of the story; the husband's grief, huffing gasoline and model airplanes are thrown in a blender and what comes out is a movie without cohesion. We get few glimpses at all what is going through Hoffman's head as he tries to come to grips with his wife's suicide. Yes, he's into airplanes, apparently to hide his use of gasoline and not to be seen as a liar but where is this going? Why does he care about this guy anyway? They're not friends. Is he spiraling into heavy addiction or is this huffing a way to kill momentary pain, and about half the film?
There are a few good scenes that hammer home his agony (his odd, over-laughing at an office joke, sleeping on the floor) but they are few and far between. Between a strong opening and solid ending, the viewer is subjected to what feels like a drifting waste of time. He does this and that, sees one person and then another, goes here and there, buys gasoline at the same damn places every time as if there is no other stores in town, etc... The whole thing would have made more sense had he fallen to his knees and screamed at the sky for those 50 minutes. Or stood on a bridge somewhere, one leg over the side and thought about it. I found the few scenes of him walking down the street alone more compelling than most in the film.
Unlike bad movies that never had a chance but had a budget, this had a chance. It had all the pieces of a great, grim puzzle of pain but no one spent time putting the pieces in the right place.
Good but a downer.
2009-02-15 - I am a Phillip Seymour Hoffman fan. This is a strange movie but an unrelenting downer. It's not for everyone. A real film buff should see it.
I saw it once but will not view it again.
Why Can't I Give it Zero Stars? 
2008-02-23 - Philip Seymour Hoffman does his best to elevate this sorry excuse for a movie, but even an actor of his caliber can't save a script that's clichéd, maudlin and just bad. This is the kind of film that proves how nepotism works in Hollywood. If the screenwriter's brother weren't Phil Hoffman, Love Liza would never have made into a film. So in addition to being a wonderful actor, Hoffman is also a nice sibling, but that doesn't mean you should waste your time watching this wreck.
My God! If the sky was falling, it would be GOOD news!
2007-11-04 - I didn't believe it was possible. This movie made Leaving Las Vegas seem spiritually uplifting. If you have ANY psychological abnormalities - neuroses, tendencies toward depression, suicide, etc... - DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE!
I really regret the 50 cents I spent on it.
