Forever Mine (1999)

An affair between a cabana boy and the young wife of a sinister politician triggers a 16-year vendetta between the two men.

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writer:

Paul Schrader

Stars:

Joseph Fiennes, Ray Liotta, Gretchen Mol

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Fiennes	...	Manuel Esquema / Alan Riply
Ray Liotta	...	Mark Brice
Gretchen Mol	...	Ella Brice
Vincent Laresca	...	Javier Cesti
Myk Watford	...	Rick Martino
Lindsey Connell	...	Stewardess
Sean Cw Johnson	...	Randy (as Sean C W Johnson)
Shawn Proctor	...	Cabana Boy
Russell Blackwell	...	Business Associate
Jocelyn Snowdon	...	Young Associate's Companion
Kevi Katsuras	...	Julie, Six Year-old Girl
Shannon Lawson	...	Emily, Julie's Mother
Ronald Knight	...	Older Male Executive
Ginger King	...	Older Male's Companion
Ted Simonett	...	Mr. Galen

Storyline

Two stories, 14 years apart, converge in a suburb of New York. Manuel Esquema, an international financier, whose face is badly scarred, is flying from Miami to help a New York politician negotiate a plea bargain with the Justice Department. Years before, this financier was a fresh-faced cabaña boy at a Miami Beach resort who fell in love with a young woman on holiday with her husband. The husband is now the pol, and he thinks he dispatched the cabaña boy long ago. What are Esquema's plans: revenge, mercy, or a complicated plan to seek again the woman's love?

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Plot Keywords:

dysfunctional marriage | sex scene | politician | vendetta | revenge | 

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Taglines:

He gave all for love.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality and violence, and for language

Details

Country:

UK Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 2002 (Spain)

Also Known As:

A Sombra de uma Vingança

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Forever Mine (UK) Limited,J&M Entertainment,Moonstar Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed at Don Cesar Hotel in St Pete Beach Florida.

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Quotes

Manuel Esquema: Everything has a purpose. Everybody has a purpose. It is my purpose to be with Ella. Nothing can change that; not you, not the police, not the courts. It's just a fact. Like... like plants turning to the Sun, or death, or taxes.
Mark Brice: What is this gibberish? Are you crazy? Nobody talks like this. Make sense!
Manuel Esquema: People are afraid to say what they feel. Ella is afraid.
Mark Brice: I'm not afraid to say what I feel. There's two types of people in this world; assholes and pricks. You're an asshole. And I'm a prick. Do ...

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Crazy Credits

[prologue] "It is the addition of strangeness to beauty that constitutes the romantic character in art". - Walter Pater.

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Connections

References Taxi Driver (1976)

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Soundtracks

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Written by Ewan Maccoll
Performed by Conner Reeves
Published by Stormking Music Inc.
Harmony Music (UK & Eire)
Arranged by Ian Lynn
Produced by Julia Taylor-Stanley
Courtesy of Wildstar Records
By arrangement with Telestar Projects

User Reviews

Formula stuff - I've had more interesting nightmares!

Not a bad film, but by no means a good one either. Alan, a cabana boy at a Miami resort, meets and falls in love with Ella, a pretty, young trophy wife to Mark, a businessman. Mark is not happy when Ella discloses her affair with Alan to him, and....you can guess the rest. Predictable, by-the-numbers stuff without even any engaging performances. Joseph Fiennes is just miscast, plain and simple. He moves as though he has something rather large stuck you-know-where and his American accent, moreso than his Spanish accent, is just unconvincing. I like Joseph Fiennes plenty, but I did not buy him as the romantic, heart-throb his character was intended to be. Ray Liotta, on the other hand, is simply walking through his role, shades of 'GoodFellas' all over the place. Gretchen Mol, however, could carve out a nice little niche for herself playing the B-grade Drew Barrymore-Kim Basinger-Ashley Judd, when those stars are unavailable, uninterested or too expensive. She's got the girlish charm and bubbly giggle of Barrymore, the air-brushed good looks of Basinger, and the All-American beauty of Judd...and she's not afraid to get naked on screen, as evidenced here many times.

As for the rest of the movie, Paul Schrader's script is lazy and dull, full of lines that a third grader could've wrote. Too bad because Mr. Schrader has the film noir-ish tone down pat and the photography is great to look at. There's just nothing to occupy the space. We've seen all this before ('Body Heat' comes to mind as well as a slew of others) where this conventional set-up has clicked and provided for some tasty entertainment, but it does not do so here and the result is so-so. Oh, and the ending sucks. Skip it.