 | |
List Price: $7.99 | | Label: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Salesrank: 80702
Released: March 28, 2006 |
| Our Price: $2.86 |
| Used Price: $1.03 |
|
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Movie star Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) is at the top of his game: a seemingly endless supply of money, celebrity friends (Vince Vaughn), parties, a beautiful wife (Franka Potente)…and his name and image, known all around the world.
But with fame and fortune comes attention, and not always the kind that is wanted. Convinced that the ‘chance’ encounters that he has been having with his fans are not really coincidental, he looks to his bodyguard (Jared Harris) and a video store clerk (Joshua Jackson) for help – despite the protests of those around him. Is he truly paranoid, as they suggest? Or are they motivated by jealousy and spite? Has he found himself in the crosshairs of an obsessed fan…or is it someone much closer to him? Will one of the top movie stars in the world be able to survive, when he doesn’t even know who - or what- he is up against?
Description of I Love Your Work:
Filmed like an art-house project, I Love Your Work offers thoughtful insight to fame from both the celebrity's and the fan's points of view. When you're a celebrity, every fan is a potential stalker. Or at least that's how movie star Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) sees it. An A-list actor married to a sex symbol, Gray wants to see things clearly in black and white. But his world is a cloudy haze of gray. Are his flashbacks of a comely girlfriend (Christina Ricci) hallucinations or memories of a simpler, happier time? Are his encounters with a stoic fan (Jason Lee) the prelude to his demise, or the manifestation of his paranoia? Director Adam Goldberg doesn't make this clear, but that's also clearly his intent. The drama offers a charismatic performance by Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, The Bourne Identity) as Gray's frustrated wife. But Ribisi--at his twitchiest--is an unconvincing movie star, appearing more like a run-down wannabe than a full-fledged insider. I Love Your Work? Not so much. --Jae-Ha Kim
I Love Your Work Reviews:
very interesting noncommercial film 
2009-01-17 - not an easy film to watch... but fascinating.
ribisi is riveting in every scene, and the camera work and production design are first rate.
the layering of plots and points of view is a wild ride, and sets up the audience for the dissolution of the main character's personality.
the complex psychological underpinnings of the story make it a bit effortful, but the overall effect is worth the effort.
not your standard date movie.
I Love Your Work - A Misunderstood Gem Of A Film For Actors And Students Of The Human Psyche 
2008-12-14 - If you love cinema that pushes the envelope, then I Love Your Work may be what you are looking for. That is, if this is the kind of movie you are looking for and if you are ready. This is not an *accessible* movie, and the plot serves only as a backdrop for the real story: the inner-workings of an alienated, paranoid and crumbling mind. For those that appreciate the psychological in film, this movie is a treasure trove. I think anybody who truly appreciates, studies and aspires to great acting can also learn much from Mr. Ribisi's performance here.
Some people have focused on the plot of this picture and come away with the impression that this is a *woe is me* tale about the grips of celebrity. I see this movie more as a character study of a very needy and praise-dependant introvert who is losing his grip on reality. The fact that the main character is a famous actor is useful in providing a personality type which can be vulnerable to needing the approval and praise of others. Indeed, not all actors have this need, certainly not to the debilitating level of Ribisi's character here. But the need for admiration and approval is something that is probably bigger for actors, and definitely something the rest of the world can relate to.
Granted this film is not for the general public. This is not meant to be watched for surface level entertainment, nor is it meant to be structured like the traditional story many people often expect. To portray the stream of consciousness of somebody's fractured mind on film is a very difficult thing to do. It does not lend itself to traditional plot structure and scene sequences.
Much of what we see on screen is indeed happening inside of the central character's mind after all. Some of it is happening in his memory and some of it is a complete fabrication of his imagination. The complex interconnections between past and present, fantasy and reality require careful study and continued viewing. Those making snap assessments are likely to miss what is happening beneath the surface.
A central theme in this movie revolves around Ribisi's relationship with an aspiring film-maker and his girlfriend. At first he is flattered by the filmmaker, played well by Joshua Jackson. But he begins to identify with his girlfriend as the girl he left behind when he became famous. As he spirals deeper into his fantasy world, he begins to crave her desire and approval. Indeed, he longs for the simple life and real love that they share and he feels he has lost, despite his marriage to the actress that was the object of his affection before he hit the big time. He also acts in increasingly unhealthy ways as he loses his grip on reality. The results are disasterous.
I really loved the casting of this movie for the most part. The only minor critique I can offer is that the way the script was written didn't allow all of the supporting cast to flex their acting muscles. Still, they are used well even if not to their full potential. I would not critique the disjointed plot nor the slow moving sequences because I believe that both of those aspects of the film are central to the psychological descent they were trying to portray.
If you are looking for a traditional story with an easy to digest plot, this is not for you. But if you are intrigued by the psychological aspects of acting and how various manias are played out on screen, give this movie some time. If you love great acting, there is a lot to learn here.
Enjoy.
What exactly is the plot here??? 
2007-04-02 - This movie was painful to watch at times. The main guy seems pretty cool, but his wife in the movie is, well.. it's just unbelievable that she's supposed to be a movie star's wife - she's flat chested and has a big butt, not to mention ugly. And she's really annoying and has some BS accent. The sound levels are totally screwed up - channels aren't mixed right, I found myself straining to hear one minute, and then blasted with sound the next, esp when when music was mixed in. I felt like I was on a miracle ear commercial asking my wife "what did he just say?" And I have otherwise perfect hearing. Overall the "film" is totally shallow and a strained effort to make a clever movie with alot of pretentious B-movie grade ideas. It would be like what would happen if a 5th grader whose father is a bigtime director wrote a script and his father directed and cast it. It's just dumb and poorly executed with good acting and decent cinematography. Did I mention how bad the sound was?? It's very rare that I stop watching a movie partway through, as the last movie that I stopped watching partway through was 'The Man' with Samuel L Jackson, to give you an idea of how high my tolerance for pain really is. And whoo-hoo, people do drugs in the movie!! Wow!! I've never seen anyone do drugs before, and something like that just blows away the average 13 year old from Provo. So totally cutting edge with the drug scenes...and there's boobs, too!! Yee-ha!! Boobs!! I gave it 2 stars b/c the acting is OK and Elvis Costello made a cameo.
Ya'll peep is crazy
2007-02-23 - This was one of the best movie I've seen all year. Guliana Rabissi (sp?) is PHENOMINAL. People giving this movie low ratings must not understand the complex, multi-demintional plot. The acting is excellent, the cinematography is capticating. I rarely purchase DVD's, but I bought this one because of how much it touched me. It's a remarkable piece of art.
Ennui would be a kind descriptor
2006-11-07 - Clocking in at just under two hours, I LOVE YOUR WORK leaves the viewer feeling as though from the opening sequence that stones have been tied to your feet and your body thrown into the very deep and dank water to slowly settle into the mud at the bottom. Sound dreary? Then avoid this little mess of a film.
It is hard to believe that Adrian Butchart who is giving us the radiant GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS trilogy could help write this script: one wonders if writer/director Adam Goldberg didn't just bring him in for help. The story is tired (small time guy gives up love for a career as a movie star with all the accessories of money, fame, celeb status, gorgeous wife, etc. only to find life in its simpler fashion was preferable) and the choices of casting this very dark and dreary tale are inappropriate. Giovanni Ribisi, superb an actor though he most assuredly is, simply is not credible as a movie star sex symbol whose stardom is accompanied by alcoholism, self hate, paranoia, fragmented thinking, and bad decisions. The only time we see anything vaguely suggestive of his ability to create a role is in the many flashback scenes (with girlfriend Christina Ricci): his on screen chemistry with his famous wife Mia (the enormously talented Franka Potente who here is wasted in a mannequin's role) is nil, and his interplay with such actors as Vince Vaughn, Marisa Coughlan, Judy Greer, Shalom Harlow, Joshua Jackson, Jason Lee, and Elvis Costello is unilateral.
Goldberg films this boring redundant tale using all manner of artsy camera tricks that only serve to make the tedium increase. With a cast like this the product had promise. Goldberg needs some time to think about this phase of his career. Grady Harp, November 06
