Love in the Time of Money (2002)

Director:

Peter Mattei

Writer (WGA):

Peter Mattei (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love. Lust. Lies.

Plot:

New York serves as a backdrop for a cast of characters in search of love, lust or lucre including a...

Plot Keywords:

Lust | Embezzler | Artist | Love | Psychic

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Vera Farmiga	...	Greta
Domenick Lombardozzi	...	Eddie Iovine
Jill Hennessy	...	Ellen Walker
Malcolm Gets	...	Robert Walker
Steve Buscemi	...	Martin Kunkle
Rosario Dawson	...	Anna
Adrian Grenier	...	Nick
Carol Kane	...	Joey
Michael Imperioli	...	Will
Alexa Fischer	...	Elaine
Ross Gibby	...	Jack
Nahanni Johnstone	...	Marianne Jones
John Ottavino	...	Mark Jones
Tamara Jenkins	...	Gallery Owner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roger Hervas	...	Cab driver

Directed by
Peter Mattei

Writing credits (WGA)
Peter Mattei		(written by)

Produced by
Robyn Alcock	....	associate producer
Allen Bain	....	line producer
Lisa Bellomo	....	producer
Yves Chevalier	....	co-producer
Michael Kafka	....	executive producer
Jason Kliot	....	producer
Gretchen McGowan	....	producer
Michael Nozik	....	executive producer
John Orlando	....	co-executive producer
Robert Redford	....	executive producer
Charles J. Rusbasan	....	co-executive producer
Joana Vicente	....	producer

Original Music by
Theodore Shapiro

Cinematography by
Stephen Kazmierski

Film Editing by
Myron I. Kerstein

Casting by
Katharina Eggmann		(as Katharina Eggman)
Sheila Jaffe
Georgianne Walken

Production Design by
Susan Block

Art Direction by
Lucio Seixas

Costume Design by
Catherine George

Makeup Department
Persefone Karakosta	....	additional hair stylist
Persefone Karakosta	....	additional makeup artist
Sanna Riley	....	key hair stylist
Sanna Riley	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Caroline Becker	....	production manager
Bruno de Almeida	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carrie Fix	....	first assistant director
Tom Self	....	second assistant director (as Thomas Self)
Ian A. Williams	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Sarah Berney	....	charge scenic artist
Duke Scoppa	....	property master
Jeffrey Thompson	....	additional property master

Sound Department
Shelley Batista	....	foley editor
Rachel Chancey	....	foley engineer
Seth Granger	....	boom operator
Jason Kaplan	....	supervising sound editor
Alex Markowski	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jay Peck	....	foley artist
Theresa Radka	....	production sound mixer (as Theresa K.K. Radka)
Jennifer Ralston	....	dialogue editor
Jennifer Ralston	....	sound editor
Griffin Richardson	....	additional boom operator
Paul Sacco	....	sound consultant: Dolby

Visual Effects by
Luke DiTommaso	....	visual effects
Jennifer Russomanno	....	digital effects artist
Keith Yurevitz	....	digital artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Ariel Boles	....	electrician
Catriona Crosby	....	grip
Christine DeSavino	....	still photographer
Melissa Guimaraes	....	best boy grip
Matthew Hale	....	key grip
Andrew B. Hansen	....	electrician (as Andrew Hansen)
Susan Heller	....	electrician
Stu Kaufman	....	electrician
Josh Kraszewski	....	grip
Evin Lowe	....	gaffer
Brian McKee	....	grip
Rachel Miller	....	electrician
Rick Pierson	....	second assistant camera
John Schwartz	....	electrician
Chachi Senior	....	additional second assistant camera
Tatsuya Shindo	....	grip
Minh Tran	....	grip
Ezra Venetos	....	electrician
Derek Walker	....	camera operator
Justin Whitaker	....	electrician

Casting Department
Wendy Taeuber	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Annie Yun	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Sarah Flack	....	additional editor
Rachel Goodlett Katz	....	assistant editor (as Rachel Goodlett)
Kent McGrew	....	film timer
Larry Schmitt	....	on-line editor
Jane Tolmachyov	....	digital video colorist

Music Department
Philip Hernandez	....	composer: stock music
Susan Jacobs	....	music supervisor
Jedd Katrancha	....	associate music supervisor
Chris Maxwell	....	composer: stock music
Anne Pope	....	music editor
Theodore Shapiro	....	arranger
Alan Silverman	....	music mixer
Alan Silverman	....	music recordist

Other crew
Leanne Brady	....	assistant office coordinator
Andrea F. Cannistraci	....	legal services
Mariela Comitini	....	production assistant
Jennifer Getzinger	....	script supervisor
Alyson Latz	....	additional production coordinator
Peter Mattei	....	title sequence
Eric Oden	....	production accountant
Tory Tunnell	....	head of development
Eric Wrolstad	....	assistant location manager
Andrew Yeo	....	location manager

Thanks
Annette Insdorf	....	additional thanks

Production Companies

• Blow Up Pictures
• Open City Films
• Sagittaire Films
• South Fork Pictures

Distributors

• Blow Up Pictures
• ContentFilm International (2002) (worldwide) (all media) (sales agency)
• Sagittaire Films
• THINKFilm
• Teleview International (2002) (Lebanon) (TV) (Middle East)

Other Companies

• All Payments Services  payroll (as All Payments)
• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  public relations
• K.A.S. Lighting  grip and lighting equipment (as KAS Lighting)
• Kampo Studios  music recorded and mixed at
• Sound One  optical track
• Spin Cycle Post  post-production facility

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for a disturbing violent image, strong sexual content and language

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Blow Up Pictures

Trivia:

Inspired by "Reigen" by Arther Schnitzler

Quotes:

Robert Walker:Five thousand. For a kiss good night.
Martin Kunkle:[laughs] You can get a lot more for a lot less under the West Side Highway.

Soundtrack:

Cuba Libre Con Luz

despite positive qualities, it's not for the casual film goer

`Love in the Time of Money' is an adaptation of `Reigen," Arthur Schnitzler's scandalous 1897 play that follows a daisy-chain of sexual encounters, where one person moves to the next, until it comes full circle to the first in the chain. This debut film from Peter Mattei, also a playwright and theater director, shows a promising filmmaker, but watch out for the cautionary yellow flags.

The classic plot line has been seen by many films and stage productions, each with its own comment on how sex plays a role in the human spirit. In Mattei's version, sex is used solely as a coping mechanism when all else fails. In each vignette, an emotionally depressed person emotionally capitulates to another who appears to be emotionally stable. As the needy weans off the strength of the stronger, who is in turn strengthened by being needed, both try to fill their emotional reservoir. This ultimately leads to sex, but its short-term effects prove inadequate. When the realities of the stronger person come crashing down, this never-ending chain of events perpetuates from one person to the next.

The best part of the film is how very intense, complex human character is painted so concisely using the most minimal of brush strokes. Make no mistake, the characters are very abstract, and do not necessarily represent how we might envision realistic dialog, but that's not the point. Instead, their features are very intentional, accented in deliberate ways to punctuate and exaggerate primal motivations, frailties, and lusts in order to illustrate how we cope with life.

Much can be said about the script, though not all good -- it is inconsistent at times -- but it is, in many ways, artful and skillful in its depiction of deeper complex character profiles. While it isn't the audience's responsibility to recognize the difficulty in accomplishing this task with only a few short lines of dialog, Mattei does it well for a debut filmmaker. That said, won't appeal to most audiences, nor would he enjoy such leniency from critics in future films.

The worst parts of the film are too noteworthy not to chop several point off the top. First, the title itself (and the production notes) suggests that the reason for people's emotional and spiritual deterioration is somehow attributable to a financially rich society, where waste mirrors our loss of our values, purpose and meaning of life. Yet, that premise is never presented as a backdrop to any of the vignettes in the movie, and in only one case has money been the instrument of a character's downfall. The fact that the filmmaker lost his intended vision of the film is also evident in other aspects of the film, leaving its entire message or purpose unclear. One common element is the use of sex as the great savior of the spirit, yet no one ever wins, but this is more of a statement of the obvious than a compelling message or theme.

Despite my enthusiasm for the film's positive points, `Love in the Time of Money' is not for the causal film-goer. It requires a more adept indie-film aficionado and mature student of human nature to better appreciate its better qualities. Alas, the film's drawbacks, especially its lack of a more coherent message, leave it dry in the end. Still, I have to end on a high note, by giving it credit for depicting deeper, complex character profiles in short time-slices, a quality not easily done by debut filmmakers. Bravo for that.