Review of Living Out Loud (1998) by Stephen M — 21 Mar 2008

This is the movie for which Holly Hunter should have won her Oscar.

LaGravenese does a bang up job of telling the story (in his first film) of the journey from heartbreak back to the reclaimation of self, soul and a life worth living in this self penned script. It is intelligent and intricate and apologizes for nothing, as well as explaining nothing. The characters are complex and real and fascinating to watch while they do things like lie, gamble, drink too much, make out with strangers, take drugs, hire in sex for money professionals ... the whole nine yards -- everything that New York residents do. Hunter's character has insanely real inner monolgues and fantasy sequences that the rest of us have but don't admit to, for fear of sounding crazy. She has neuroses and embarrasments and she always picks herself up and keeps moving. She speaks her mind without worrying about offending people and it makes her friends (played by DeVito and Latifah) love her all the more. It does the same for the audience.

Latifah plays a nightclub singer and it is a great benefit to the audience because we get to hear her sing (in one instance, it is the song LUSH LIFE and it is one of the best versions of it, ever).

LaGravenese is so incredibly smart and that is apparent in his writing, his directing, his insistence on not explaining himself, the origination of his story and the quotes used to open the scenes from the movie, on the dvd - and the dvd commentary, as well. He is really smart and, for that, I am grateful.

The scene in the dance club where Hunter's character is rolling on the drug ecstasy is one of the (if not the) best portrayals of what that feels like, ever put on film. Oh, and the non-sex scene between Hunter and Eddie Cibrian is one of the hottest, most breathtaking scenes ever put on film.

The movie didn't do very well in the theaters and didn't get enough attention to get the crowds in --.

Or the Oscar nod Hunter deserved.