The Republic of Love (2003)

A story of love and enchantment set in the coldest of winters, it explores the issues, dilemmas and barriers facing the lucky and unlucky in love in the 21st Century, based on the novel of ... See full summary »

Director:

Deepa Mehta

Writers:

Carol Shields (novel), Deepa Mehta (screen story),

Stars:

Kate Lynch, Kate Kelton, Sunday Muse

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Lynch	...	Dr. French
Kate Kelton	...	Mother #1
Sunday Muse	...	Mother #2
Brooke D'Orsay	...	Mother #3
Bruce Greenwood	...	Tom Avery
Jackie Burroughs	...	Betty
Alec Stockwell	...	Mike
Emilia Fox	...	Fay
Lloyd Owen	...	Peter
Gary Farmer	...	Ted
Edward Fox	...	Richard
Kenneth Wickes	...	Mr. Duff
David Huband	...	Sammy
Rebecca Jenkins	...	Maeve
Connor Price	...	Gary Woloschuck

Storyline

A story of love and enchantment set in the coldest of winters, it explores the issues, dilemmas and barriers facing the lucky and unlucky in love in the 21st Century, based on the novel of the same name by Pullitzer Prize-winning author Carol Shields. Tom is a charismatic late-night radio talk show host, whose unconventional upbringing has made him a little too quick to fall in love and marry, resulting in three divorces before the age of 40. Fay is his total opposite; her romantic ideal has not yet been attained and is unlikely ever to be due to her impossibly high expectations as a result of living with the perfection that is her parents' rock solid marriage. This unlikely pairing proves the rule that in love, there are no rules and the couple meet and fall deeply in love at first sight. All is faultless, until Fay's parents' marriage breaks down suddenly, out of nowhere, after 40 years of wedded bliss. Fay and their relationship are thrown into turmoil. Will Tom be able to persuade...

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Plot Keywords:

love | marriage | radio talk show | love at first sight | divorce | 

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Taglines:

Geography is destiny

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 2004 (Canada)

Also Known As:

I dimokratia tou erota

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dan Films, Film Consortium, The, Triptych Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emilia Fox (Fay) is the real life daughter of Edward Fox (Richard).

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Crazy Credits

For Carol Shields (1935-2003)

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Connections

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004)

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Soundtracks

"In My Dream of Love"
Performed by Joan Viskant
Written by Joan Viskant and Mick Bishop
Courtesy of 33 Jazz Records
Published by Sam Music

User Reviews

Deepa Mehta's limited vision

The Republic of Love sadly confirms my suspicion that Deepa Mehta is a director of limited talent and vision. The film is dramatically and emotionally inert - a far, far cry from Carol Shields source novel. Certain sequences - for example, the lamentable nonsense about mermaids in the museum - are little short of embarrassing, with Mehta seemingly unable to construct convincing relationships. Certain sets look as if they were built on very limited budgets. The whole thing isn't helped by weak decisions in the casting department. Emilia Fox is cold and fails to convince us of any of her character's passion. Bruce Greenwood struggles to convince us of his heterosexuality. And Edward Fox is

• well - just plain terrible. His accent sounds as it was trained at

the Dick Van Dyke School of Elocution. A major misfire. Avoid.