Loser Love (1999)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Jean-Marc Vallée

Writer:

Claudia Santorelli (writer)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

A young woman decides to get even with her abusive boyfriend. |

Plot Keywords:

Abusive Boyfriend | Revenge | Independent Film

Cast

Laurel Holloman	...	Lily Delacroix
Andy Davoli	...	Tim (as Andrew Davoli)
Rachel Robinson	...	Kilo
Burt Young	...	Sydney Delacroix
Lauren Hutton	...	Annie Delacroix
Claudia Santorelli	...	Pam
David Goldsmith	...	Jared
Brianna Shea Russo	...	Young Lily (as Brianna Russo)
Brandon Fox	...	The Voyuer
Michael Batt	...	Chef Jon-Michelle
Felipe 'Flip Gonzalez	...	Cook
Rose Maria Fernandez	...	Vera
Leo J. Hatem	...	Butler
Mickey Coffey	...	Chauffer
Remy Auberjonois	...	Bartender

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, violence and language.

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

when love hurts, it's time to kill the pain

This wannabe feminist revenge drama is undermined by a poor central performance by Laurel Holloman, as a woman who suffers mistreatment from her boyfriend. Although it probably fits the phenomena, Lily's continual forgiveness of misdeeds reads as more weakness on her part than conniving on him, particularly since Tim is presented as such an obvious user. A good clue is his chain-smoking. Although Lily needs to be partially attractive to have attained the attention of a handsome man, her little girl demeanor makes her all too much the masochistic doormat. Holloman's narrow interpretation of Lily extends to her behavior with her parents, though it is because she is a rich girl that presumably allows for her lack of need for employment or some other social milieu which might have let us see her act differently. The therapy sessions that have Holloman talking to the camera, and include screaming, also show Lily to have an immature attitude (though this point at least gets a payoff). The treatment presents Lily's father as a textbook abuser, who submits her to a sporty variation of William Tell, this time with a gun, that supposedly gives context to Lily's future choice of men. Lily's turning point is an act of physical abuse that reads as unbelievable given the physicality of her relationship, with the climactic trap full of contrivance. The teleplay has the distinction of using that howler "You disgust me", and the father is described as "Stanley Kowalski". Although as Tim, Andrew Davoli isn't given much to play, he does supply some boyish smiles and the requisite hunk appeal, and as Lily's best friend with the unfathomable name of Kilo, Rachel Robinson supplies some tartness, even if she backs out of the conflict at the last minute.