Review of I Love You to Death (1990) by Stephen M — 11 Mar 2010

I saw a hilarious movie last night and today - well I let out a few chuckles.

I Love you to Death - a movie with KEVIN KLINE and TRACY ULLMAN(director Lawrence Kadsan) about a wife cheating italian man who owns a typical downtown family pizza shop who's wife tries to kill him four times - based on a true story - full of comedy about italian and mediterranean families in a comedic and stereotypical quasi theatrical story of an italian man who can never be faithful. These hippies played by Keanu Reeves and William hurt are hired by the wife and her mother to kill him with hilarious results. A young.

River Phoenix, pre â??Indiana Jones and the last Crucadeâ??, stars as the family pizza shop assistant and family friend who joins the scheme out of misguided love and loyalty to the wife reflecting misguided love of upholding family values, and a little boyish infatuation with Ullmans character- The deal: to have the husband TONY(Kevin Kleine) knocked off. PHOENIX's character is a funny hippy with long hair, and he is cute but annoyingly stupid and in-mature as he does everything for the love and misguided loyalty to the man's wife - I wonder is there can be any character out there who is stupider than he and is a classic example of misplaced values, however true; and the two hippie assassins ( an unrecognizable William Hurt and Keanu Reeves that are hired to do the job, and do a crap job at it. A Notable aspect of the film is the operatic style and pace, complete with a symphonic score that could pass as an opera buff or an operetta if the words were sung, ( the lead character Tony often breaks out into song.) I think this movie would do fabulously as a modern opera with a modern twist and the acting is excellent, if somewhat stereotypical. This movie Is now dated ( made in 1990), and to shamelessly stereotype characters was the norm and it could we be that people really behaved this way. My grandmother is italian, and yes; her house is decked out with religious iconography, statues, photos and a certificate from the current pontiff, so anyone who has a connection to catholic culture and the Mediterranean ways should find something to identify with in this movie. The movie is (loosely) based on a true story. Kevin Kline is particularly funny and effective as the bed hopping pizza shop husband, and good accolades to ensemble acting - with a cameo appearance from from pre-â??roller girlâ?? Heather Graham that seems pointless, then again I was nodding off at that stage and I may have missed the point of her cameo - it was an early role for the actress who went onto Hollywood fame and success.

The merging of American hippie youth culture and Americanized Mediterranean families is to be applauded for the quirky and hilarious result that leaves you feeling that this is more of a film than meets the eye. - 4/5 - Stephen Marino (Filling in for DAVID STRATTON.).

Stephen.