Loverboy (2005)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Kevin Bacon

Writers:

Hannah Shakespeare (screenplay)
Victoria Redel (novel)

Release Date:

16 March 2006 (Israel)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Some mothers aren't meant to be moms.

Plot:

A neglected daughter becomes a possessive mother in an emotional journey into the heart and mind of a woman who loved too much.

Plot Keywords:

School | Motherhood | Flashback | Photograph | School Administrator

Cast

Kyra Sedgwick	...	Emily
Dominic Scott Kay	...	Paul (6 years old)
Kevin Bacon	...	Marty
Blair Brown	...	Jeanette Rawley
Matt Dillon	...	Mark
Oliver Platt	...	Mr. Pomeroy
Campbell Scott	...	Paul's Father
Marisa Tomei	...	Sybil
Sosie Bacon	...	Emily (10 years old)
Travis Bacon	...	Lenny
John Lafayette	...	Allen Rawley
Jessica Stone	...	Anita Biddle
Melissa Errico	...	Miss Silken
Nancy Giles	...	Principal
Carolyn McCormick	...	Ruth the Realtor

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-13

Filming Locations:

Hillsdale, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Bigel / Mailer Films

Quotes:

Emily: Fitting in with the outside world, respectability, suitability, conformity, were never high on my priority list; neither was normalcy. I admit: I cultivated arrogance. The world would be our school; I wanted to learn it and teach it to you.

Movie Connections:

References "Yûgiô" (1998)

Thoughtful premise looses energy through repetition

Interesting though thematically bludgeoned "family" film detailing the singular obsession Emily (Kyra Sedgwick) has for producing and raising her very own child. While layering a good amount of light-hearted humor into the affair, the movie is undoubtedly subversive in the process of relaying so many well meaning points. The unique material will most likely find an audience with females, and mothers in particular, having much less of a hold on the opposite sex. Although this material is presented in a somewhat compelling manner through the textured workings exuded from Segwick, the novel that this was adapted from clearly lost something in transition, from the competent though unimpressive pacing that stretches some time periods out too long- yet feels way abridged in others, to a just plain unfortunate air of mediocrity found throughout the production values. Not helping things much is Loverboy himself, played by an adorable, but immature Dominic Scott Kay, who crushes some of the realism with his performance. Even as original and interesting as Segwick's character seemed, I became less interested as the character became caricature, displayed through the eventual predictability of her unpredictability. While it was every intention of the film to associate this character with those attributes, what should have been her son's perception of her, ended up being mine as well, which somehow negated all of Krya's quieter, and effecting moments. Bacon himself deserves a job well done for an admirable debut behind the lens (except for not getting more damn re-shoots of that kid!), offering decent direction and a funny little role to boot. The script's insistence at repeating itself does grate a little but fortunately the themes do hold water in this one, although primarily for women and in a non-direct, after-effect sort of way, due to the sensitive though underdeveloped screenplay.