Reviews & Ratings for
A Little Romance More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Index

45 reviews in total

---

20 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
26 years later, still magical and a work of supreme craftsmanship, 5 June 2005

Author: yawn-2 from San Francisco, California

I've never been able to get this out of my head since its first release; it is one of the best films I've ever seen. I just looked at the DVD and was amazed at how many details I still remember from that first viewing 26 years ago. Gunfire-addled IMDb voters are dead wrong; this should be a 9+, but I guess it gets docked two points for having no explosions and only one shooting (with a blank pistol, which probably doesn't count).

The only "modern romances" in the same league are Richard Linklater's "Sunrise/Sunset" films, which I urge all fans of "A Little Romance" to see.

As fine as Diane Lane has been in recent films, I don't believe she's ever been as good as she is here, 13 years old and simultaneously fresh as new snow and polished as silver plate. She absolutely belonged on that TIME magazine cover. It's a miraculous performance which may owe more to director Hill than to Lane herself, but who cares? Just enjoy it...her interview feature on the DVD is excellent, by the way.

With the exception of "Marathon Man" and a couple of British TV plays, you can't find better late-period Olivier. He's simply delightful. If you are really perverse (like me), watch this and then compare with "The Boys from Brazil," a dreadful Olivier movie from the previous year, which should have qualified Sir Larry as the all-time champion "great actor working like hell while thigh-deep in pure crap." Here it's the exact opposite: the consummate old pro, totally relaxed, tossing off another memorable performance because he's in a terrific movie that he doesn't have to try and save. This is how I choose to remember the older Olivier. Another old pro, Broderick Crawford, damn near steals the movie in his too-brief cameos. He has a wonderful moment with Thelonious Bernard that will charm anyone who's dealt with an aging person's fading memory.

Arthur Hill, yet another reliable old guy, puts a nice turn on the #2 step-dad character. Who ever looked better in a business suit? The only truly unbelievable thing in the movie is that such a smart and understanding man would actually marry Sally Kellerman's vapid, starstruck mother character. Heavens, what a bitch. She doesn't deserve Arthur, and the scene in which he ejects equally vapid Potential Next Husband David Dukes from their lives is a classic of real-world, real man macho.

It's a real shame that Thelonious Bernard didn't have a film career, but if you can only star in one movie, this is a pretty damn good one for it. The iconic freeze-frame final shot of him leaping above traffic to wave goodbye is something one never forgets. It's like the alternate universe version of the last shot in "The 400 Blows."

One more thing: thank heavens there was no sequel.

---

16 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
A kiss under the Bridge of Sighs, 18 February 2000
Author: masonx from Auckland, New Zealand

The wonder of Laurence Olivier was his flexibility. From Shakespeare to the light & fluffy he was not too proud and that he enjoyed his profession so is shown in all his last works. This film is one of the latter and it may delight you with its humour and insight. A story set in Paris(sigh) of two adolescents from very different backgrounds and their budding romance in this the city of love. Which raises a good question mr director, why go to Venice when you could have done it all here the most romantic place in the world. But I digress. Lauren(Diane Lane) & Daniel(Thelonius Bernard) are the leads. Two youngsters with very high IQ's, they both read Heidegger & Nitsche for kicks, and who are surrounded by incompetent adults led by Daniel's dad, a parisien taxi driver with questionable ethics and Laurens mum Kay( Sally Kellerman playing a snobbish ex-patriot socialite) who balks at the thought of returning to the states-"goddam Houston".There is also a fine supporting cast of David Dukes playing George, a very avant-garde film director(so he says) and to Kay a potential husband number three, and Arthur Hill playing the kindly stepfather Richard. Broderick Crawford also makes a cameo appearance as himself, sadly one of his last. Olivier makes his entrance as the comical old gentleman with a mysterious past who used to live at the Browning's Villa in Venice and who befriends the two youngsters regaling them with a romantic tale of eternal love which can only be sealed with a kiss in a gondola under the bridge of sighs in Venice.Enough said.

Director Hill directs against type here but imbues his story with some wonderful vignettes. When Daniel's friend Londet sneaks them in to watch a blue movie Laurens reaction is a typically adolescent, morbid curiousity followed by revulsion and then a pert clinical summary.As if to say this aint that kind of a movie folks. Interestingly the two teenage leads found the eventual physical contact an embarrasing experience for all and had to be firmly encouraged by the director.There is a hint of their discomfort on screen but only for a moment. Love conquers all(sigh). Oliviers humourous performance transfixes when he almost gags on his croissant when seeing his criminal identikit photo in the newspaper. Hill also finds time to place excerpts from previous movies into his latest film,but aptly so. Albeit all in a foreign language. I also loved the photography and the landscape, I dont remember Italy being this lovely. The performances by all are very affecting although Lane did go on to bigger though not always better things. Bernard with his gallic good looks and despite passable reviews was never heard from again. Olivier sadly has passed on and will be missed by all for a long time to come.The ending was predictable but touching all the same.It never won any awards but twenty years later it remains one of my firm favourites for love story of the decade.

---

17 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
You'll want to see Venice (and the Bridge of Sighs), 26 July 2003

Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca

Smashing romantic comedy-drama about two youngsters in love. A movie-loving French boy and the American daughter of a movie actress meet and eventually run away from France to Venice to seal their love within the bonds of a legend--never suspecting the romantic story they've been told is a tall one, thought up by a wily pickpocket (Laurence Olivier, hammy but not overdoing it) who ends up acting as their guardian. Herky-jerky continuity and a too-heavy police interrogation sequence do not mar otherwise lovely and funny film with a beautiful score by Georges Delerue (which deservedly won an Oscar). Diane Lane, in her debut, is a wise little princess with understanding eyes and a husky, charming voice. *** from ****

---

12 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
A feel-good movie that isn't overly sappy., 16 May 2004
Author: JohnIL

This is definitely a movie that leaves you with a good feeling (interesting that every person who wrote a review here has liked it). Two kids meet in France, the boy a citizen of the country and a young American girl who's living there temperarily. Both kids are very likable and wise beyond their years without being arrogant or snobbish. They meet a shady but nice old man played very well by Laurence Olivier and set out on a trip from France to Venice Italy.

The film deals with the relationship between the boy and girl who are at that age when the hormones are just starting to kick in. The movie is well acted with good performances by all the leads, great scenery and has a great musical score by George Delerue.

Be interesting if they made a sequel to this with the kids (now adults) meeting again at 40.

---

13 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
A lovely movie about movies and love, 14 March 2002

Author: boblipton from New York City

This movie seems to be about the problems of growing up smarter than everyone else, but it's a very complicated little movie. Everyone in this movie wants to be like the people in the movies, even though they fall far short. There is a brief cameo by Broderick Crawford at a wrap party. Crawford is not interested in art. He wants booze and broads. The director, who is romancing Diane Lane's mother, is a schlock director, but is flattered by people's belief he is an artist. Olivier plays an old man who pretends to be many things, but turns out to be a petty crook. As for the two young lovers who want to seal their love by kissing under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice as the church bells sound, they want to be Bogey and Bacall.

Well, didn't we all? Don't we all?

---

11 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Intelligent and timeless, 5 April 2005

Author: maryjanemouse from United States

I came across this film on one of the movie channels a few weeks back, and was immediately bowled over by the seamless dialog and simple, refreshing story about adolescent love. What I particularly enjoyed about this movie was how the roles for the children were actually quite adult in theme, and watching all of them interact. The characters are extremely bright schoolchildren, as well as wise beyond their years, but yet not pretentious or self-conscious of it. Had the makers of this film used lesser actors the dialog exchanged between the characters of Daniel and Lauren would have been laughable and cheesy, but given the actors' command and understanding of the script, the movie is credible. I was also pleased to see such smart roles written for children, not to mention that the characters are far better role models than the characters they have now in movies. Given the smart, young girl actors they had in the '70s (Jodie Foster, Tatum O'Neal, Diane Lane), one wonders what's happened since - no way a movie this well thought out could be made now, or at least be made without it being ruined with some horrible casting choice like Hilary Duff or the insipid Lindsay Lohan. Overall, "A Little Romance" is a great film that has everything working for it, and is a great treat to watch with anyone, anytime.

---

9 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
One of my new all-time faves, 17 March 2003
Author: rzajac from Dongshih, Taiwan

One of the finest movies I have ever seen. Let no one ever again say that intelligent movies can't be deeply moving, spiritual, and just plain fun.

I was utterly stupefied at the seamless way this movie exposes the spiritual landscape. I'm really at a loss to explain this movie in the normal way one speaks of theatrical productions; in terms of components, like writing, direction, acting, etc. This movie was marvelously "of a piece", which is very, very relaxing and refreshing. Analyzing it would feel like dissecting a living thing, which I won't do.

Just one of the gems: This movie makes perfectly plain the essential role of familial love for the full and timely flowering of romantic love. At a time when people are accused of ascribing to movies an inordinate responsibility for social conditions, this movie reminds you why it might be reasonable to do so. It can be fairly well depended upon to stand as a model for father-daughter love, true husbandry under difficult circumstances (a spiritually impoverished mother), and exploring your first love.

And there are lots and lots and lots of other gems in this movie. There's sweet chaos, Sir Laurence Olivier, an excellent balance of English and subtitled native speech, a truly fine and unaffected portrayal of European life, and on and on and on. SEE THIS MOVIE!

---

11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Best romantic movie ever, 25 February 2002

Author: John Monteagudo (johnmont@sdccu.net) from San Diego

I love this movie because it is a real love story. This is not some cheesy feel good Hollywood movie, this is a movie about love and it's transitory nature.

It's a movie about love without all the sex, corny lines and bad jokes that permeates the modern so - called romance movies.

Laurence Olivier plays a difficult role to the tilt. One of the toughest roles you can play is a character that is an actual ham. How do you portray a ham handed con artist without over-acting? Watch Olivier in this film and you will see a clinic on subtle acting.

I'm not a big fan of romantic movies. And I never cry at movies. But this one makes me cry every time I see it.

---

7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
delightful movie, 11 February 2006

Author: mtvernonandfairway from United States

I first saw this movie in 1979. I loved it then and it has not lost any of it's magic 37 years later. Lane and Bernard are sweet and captivating and of course Sir Laurence Olivier gives another wonderful performance in his long distinguished career. Like many who saw this movie so many years ago, I often wondered what ever became of the young actor who portrayed Daniel. Apparently he decided that acting was not a profession he would continue to pursue as I have recently discovered, ashame that he did'nt do more. The award winning score to this movie by Georges DeLarue is probably the movies greatest triumph, for without it the story may not have come across with quite the power that it did. This movie is a real blessing!

---

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Lovely, 25 April 2006

Author: sbalderdash from Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is the cutest, sweetest movie in the history of movies. In my opinion, it is the best romantic movie ever made, because it is so sweet and pure and the relationship doesn't go farther than a kiss. Diane Lane's best movie, as a rich American girl and Laurence Olivier doesn't exactly do damage to the cast list with his amazing acting (as always). So adorable, made me want to watch it 20 times, especially the kiss scene under the Bridge of Sighs *sigh*. Every 13 yr old girl's romantic fantasy is revisited in this impulsive, puppy love story of "little romance" that sparks the urge to "kiss under the bridge of sighs in a gondola at sunset when the bells toll". Come on guys, if you did that to a girl, any girl, she'd love you for life, just like I LOVE THIS MOVIE. <3

---

---

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Add another review

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Amazon.com summary	Ratings
Awards	Newsgroup reviews	External reviews
Parents Guide	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user reviews	Your vote history