News for
Ron Peer More at IMDbPro »

1 item from 1998

19 May 1998 | The Hollywood Reporter | See recent The Hollywood Reporter news »

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially if she's a Beverly Hills real estate agent. An erotic thriller in the stiletto and blonde tradition, "Goodbye Lover" is a lavishly mounted but relentlessly cynical film that will likely titillate select-site interest based on its genre. Starring Patricia Arquette, Don Johnson, Dermot Mulroney and Mary-Louise Parker, "Goodbye" seems destined for a quick au revoir at the boxoffice. Still, the Warner Bros. release will likely garner respectable returns as a video rental, a Saturday night special for those seeking adult fare.

Packed with bile and a general anti-establishment tint, the Roland Joffe-directed film is a scathing look at institutions -- religion, politics, marriage. Centering on a self-made blonde, Sandra (Arquette), who relies on self-help tapes to channel her energies, "Goodbye" is spiked with nasty entanglements and murderous deeds. In this California-set social takedown, Sandra is married to a down-spiraling boozer, Jake (Mulroney), whose salty attitude is coarsened by constant boozing, not always a positive at the high-powered public relations firm at which he toils. He's an especial burden to his Big Brother, Ben (Johnson), whose slick manner and temperate demeanor have made him a publicity kingpin. But older brother, we find, is not all virtue; he's having an affair with Sandra, not to mention his doting secretary, Peggy Parker). It's a messy melange, oiled by each character's greed and loathing.

A triumvirate of screenwriters (Ron Peer, Joel Cohen, Alec Daniel) heaved together a complex if unsatisfying scenario. "Goodbye" is stocked with intelligent, anti-establishment broadsides, but the convoluted plot dilutes our interest. The film's biggest drawbacks are the gratingly nasty temperament of all its characters -- there is no one to root for -- and the fact that it has no thematic center. Further diminishing its power is the overly broad flagellation of easy-mark institutions: Mormonism, Julie Andrews, etc., are the big, easy targets of the film's scatter-gun salvos.

The cast is well-chosen. Don Johnson is terrific as a p.r. huckster, oozing false charm, while Mulroney is convincing as a self-destructive lout. Unfortunately, Arquette is more shrill than sexy as the bad blonde, but Parker is credible as a not-so-innocent secretary. Ellen DeGeneres as a salty homicide cop is strong and convincingly jaded.

It is a handsomely mounted work, with stirring production values. While Joffe has unfortunately not kindled much interest in the narrative, he and his technical team have crafted a superb-looking film. Special praise to production designer Stewart Starkin for the rich, chilly design and to cinematographer Dante Spinotti for lusciously evil lensing. Composer John Ottman's score is drenched with sinister, ripe sounds, perfect for the genre.

Goodbye Lover

Warner Bros.

Regency Enterprises Presents

an Arnon Milchan/Gotham Entertainment Group

/Lightmotive Production

A Roland Joffe Film

CREDITS:

Producers:Alexandra Milchan, Patrick McDarrah, Joel Roodman, Chris Daniel

Director:Roland Joffe

Screenwriters:Ron Peer, Joel Cohen, Alec Daniel

Story:Alec Daniel

Executive producers:Arnon Milchan, Michael Nathanson

Director of photography:Dante Spinotti

Production designer:Stewart Starkin

Editor:Gerald T. Olson

Music:John Ottman

CAST:

Sandra Dunmore:Patricia Arquette

Jake Dunmore:Dermot Mulroney

Peggy Blane:Mary-Louise Parker

Rita Pompano:Ellen DeGeneres

Rollins:Ray McKinnon

Detective Crowley:Alex Rocco

Ben Dunmore:Don Johnson

Reverend Finlayson:Andre Gregory

Bradley:John Neville

¥Running time -- 102 minutes

»

Permalink | Report a problem

1 item from 1998