Love at Large (1990)

A down and out private detective (Berenger) is asked by a beautiful woman (Archer) to follow her lover (Young) because she thinks he may be planning to kill her. Due to her poor description... See full summary »

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writer:

Alan Rudolph

Stars:

Tom Berenger, Elizabeth Perkins, Anne Archer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Berenger	...	Harry Dobbs
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Stella Wynkowski
Anne Archer	...	Miss Dolan
Kate Capshaw	...	Mrs. Ellen McGraw
Annette O'Toole	...	Mrs. King
Ted Levine	...	Frederick King / James McGraw
Ann Magnuson	...	Doris
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Art the Farmhand
Ruby Dee	...	Corrine Dart
Barry Miller	...	Marty
Neil Young	...	Rick
Meegan Lee Ochs	...	Bellhop
Gailard Sartain	...	Taxi Driver
Robert Gould	...	Tavern Bartender
Dirk Blocker	...	Hiram Culver, Used-Car Salesman

Storyline

A down and out private detective (Berenger) is asked by a beautiful woman (Archer) to follow her lover (Young) because she thinks he may be planning to kill her. Due to her poor description she's in danger. He ends up following the wrong man, but discovers the wrong man has some sleazy secrets himself. Meanwhile another detective (Perkins) has been hired to follow Berenger, and they eventually decide to work together to find out what is really going on.

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Plot Keywords:

private detective | train | mistaken identity | detective agency | used car dealer | 

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Taglines:

Love is the only lead worth following.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ahava B'Ma'akav

Filming Locations:

Bend, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$1,436,308 (USA)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During filming of the lunch scene, Which was done at the Rock Creek Tavern West of Portland, Oregon. Tom Berenger was to eat a burger. After several takes with Berenger trying to take bite of the burger he could not keep a straight face because the burger was made by craft services and was terrible. The cook from the Rock Creek Tavern heard of the situation and made a "real" burger that Berenger could sink his teeth into. After that, filming wrapped for the day.

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Quotes

Stella Wynkowski: Why do you think he has two families?
Harry Dobbs: Most bigamists do.

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Soundtracks

"Living Easy"
Written by Grady Walker, Kathy Walker and David Moordigian
Performed by Grady Walker

User Reviews

Not well-known (or liked) but I loved it!

I was one of the (very) few people who saw this in a movie theatre back in 1990. It was a small audience but everybody enjoyed it and I thought this would be a big hit. For some reason though this faded quickly.

Detective Harry Dobbs (Tom Berenger) takes on a case for Miss Dolan (Anne Archer) to track her boyfriend. What Dobbs doesn't know is that he himself is being tracked by female detective Stella Wyntowski (Elizabeth Perkins). They end up meeting and set out to solve a mystery.

Sounds strange...and it is but it's lots of fun too. The movie is always switching tone from romance to comedy to drama yet it always manages to stay coherent and entertaining. There's director Rudolph's excellent use of color and music and a script which goes whipping every which way.

The cast is up to it. Berenger (purposefully?) adopts a gravelly voice and dresses like he just stepped out of a film noir. He perfectly plays the drama and comedy nicely. Perkins has a very difficult role but she grabs it and runs with it. Only Archer is a disappointment--REALLY overplaying her part. Kate Capshaw and Annette O'Toole shine in minor roles.

This is not a easy movie to categorize or explain--you've just got to watch it. It's sort of like a film noir with comedy, style and color...but it's also a romance with a mystery thrown in...OR a comedy with some dramatic moments. It goes all over the map. Beautifully done and well worth seeing.