Review of One from the Heart (1982) by Denise F — 08 May 2010

Underrated archetypal movie depicting the dangers of projection as a romantic search engine. This is my favorite movie of all time and the sound track is a must-have. No other movie so precisely nails what happens to relationships after the razzle dazzle of "chemistry" fades and one begins to withdraw the fantasy based projections. It reveals the "swindle" we experience after the pheromones fall away and one is left "Picking Up After You". As a marriage and couples therapist, I see this pattern repeating endlessly.

This film is as classic as they come. That some find it pure boredom only tells me that they have yet to look within to see the truth this film delivers--or they have, and looked away. The beauty of the film to me is that the couple is able to find their way back to one another, to recover what was not based on fantasy but the real bond between them, and that, in the end, it is not only "enough" but beautiful. The connectedness, stripped of its cultural overlay of crap, is real and palpable. "Take me home, you silly boy, wrap your arms around me. Take me home ,you silly boy, cause I'm still in love with you".

The settings serve up Americana as we know it today--the over stylized, consumer-driven advert addled ninny splashing in the shallow waters. Yet, in the tinsel town carnival, Coppala still finds deep water in the truth, real connection,and heart. I love this film. It just gets better with time.