Feast of Love (2007)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Robert Benton

Writers (WGA):

Allison Burnett (screenplay)
Charles Baxter (novel)

Release Date:

28 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A story for anyone with an appetite for love.

Plot:

A meditation on love and its various incarnations, set within a community of friends in Oregon. and is described as an exploration of the magical, mysterious and sometimes painful incarnations of love.

Plot Keywords:

Oregon | Coffee | Professor | Coffee Shop | Grief

Cast

Morgan Freeman	...	Harry Stevenson
Greg Kinnear	...	Bradley Smith
Radha Mitchell	...	Diana Croce
Billy Burke	...	David Watson
Selma Blair	...	Kathryn Smith
Alexa Davalos	...	Chloe Barlow
Toby Hemingway	...	Oscar
Stana Katic	...	Jenny
Erika Marozsán	...	Margaret Vekashi
Jane Alexander	...	Esther Stevenson
Fred Ward	...	Bat
Margo Martindale	...	Mrs. Maggarolian
Missi Pyle	...	Agatha Smith
Shannon Lucio	...	Janey
Alex Mentzel	...	Billy Smith

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:16 | Australia:MA | Taiwan:R-12 | UK:15 | Singapore:R21 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade)

Filming Locations:

923 SE 37th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, USA

Company:

GreeneStreet Films

Trivia:

Toby Hemingway (Oscar) is left-handed, which made it somewhat of a challenge for him to make coffee for the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: At 01:11:00, when Diana asks David why he did not call her after moving out from his wife, he says that he did not call her, because she was married. Diana then removes her wedding ring and proceeds to kiss him. In the next scene, while she is still kissing him, her wedding ring is back on her finger.

Quotes:

Bradley Thomas: What's making you smile like that?
Margaret Vekashi: Looking out the window, an unusual man, an innocent man, an open-hearted man. Someone who has given tremendous love, but never had it returned, not in the way he deserves.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-09-29)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Under The Waves

Is Love number one or number two?

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Robert Benton has only made 11 movies in 35 years. What is consistent with each of his films is the way he peels back the layers of humanity. He really explores the different personalities in people. Think of the Hoffman/Streep split in "Kramer vs. Kramer" and you will see the similarities with the break-up here of Greg Kinnear and Selma Blair. The number of intimate moments and personal insecurities are too many to count ... just like real life.

Rarely do you see one partner slap the other in the midst of an affair when the one slapping is trying to lecture the soon-to-be-married other one that her morals need to be straightened out before she weds. In other words ... do as I say, not as I do. Another good story line involved two young broken people who try to accept that life and love can be good. Played well by Toby Hemingway and a stunning Alexa Davalos, the two lovers have overcome much in their lives and certainly appreciate the bond they have.

The best story line in the film is the magic of Morgan Freeman and Jane Alexander, playing the oldest interracial couple I can remember seeing on film. They are both hurting deeply from the loss of a son, yet the strength of their relationship allows them to deal with grief in separate ways, while still being there for each other. Two excellent performances.

The center of the film is the lovable, clueless, hopeless-romantic played by underrated actor Greg Kinnear. We see two relationships (Selma Blair and Radha Mitchell) end badly for him, yet he clings to his belief that LOVE is what it's all about.

I like how the only kids involved in this real world mess are old enough to make their own decisions. It would have been easy to toss in a kid or two to tug even harder at the tear ducts, but this remained an adult story for adults ... and there are far too few of these. Be forewarned , this is no light-hearted chick flick. It could be termed a romantic drama but more accurately a human drama.