A mish mash of things you don't actually know what you're seeing, but it is delicious anyway. We know by now that Rupert Everett is a great actor a courageous man and downright irresistible. Unconditional love reminds you that unconditional means unconditional so you're going to love it, no matter what. From Julie Andrews to Don't Look Now, yeah why not. I had a lot of fun.
80 Reviews
Talk about a bizarre movie...
thud-529 October 2003
But a great cast! Jonathan Pryce, Kathy Bates, Rupert Everett, Lynne Redgrave, Julie Andrews and Dan Aykroyd! And that's just the beginning.
I'm not totally sure that any description of the movie and plot are going to entice you to watch this one. Suffice it to say that it has something for practically everyone: death, singing, a sparkly suit, cell phones, a little person (nice looking woman, actually), a drawbridge (modern, not Medieval), a boombox, and a crossbow. Oh, and a psychotic. And Barry Manilow.
You will have to trust me when I say that 50% of you out there will hate this movie because of the lack of the Absurd Gene in your DNA makeup. It's not your fault; it's hereditary. The other 50% of you will probably want to change the channel after 20 minutes, but you HAVE TO KEEP WATCHING.
Even at that, at the end you may wonder why you watched... but keep in mind that absurdity thing. It should grow on you. It is a test.
I'm not totally sure that any description of the movie and plot are going to entice you to watch this one. Suffice it to say that it has something for practically everyone: death, singing, a sparkly suit, cell phones, a little person (nice looking woman, actually), a drawbridge (modern, not Medieval), a boombox, and a crossbow. Oh, and a psychotic. And Barry Manilow.
You will have to trust me when I say that 50% of you out there will hate this movie because of the lack of the Absurd Gene in your DNA makeup. It's not your fault; it's hereditary. The other 50% of you will probably want to change the channel after 20 minutes, but you HAVE TO KEEP WATCHING.
Even at that, at the end you may wonder why you watched... but keep in mind that absurdity thing. It should grow on you. It is a test.
Barry Manilow sing along
jotix1006 April 2005
"Unconditional Love" starts with great promise. As directed by P. J. Hogan, the film works great up until the last third of the movie, when it falls flat on its face. The screen play Mr. Hogan and Jocelyn Moorehouse wrote showed a myriad of possibilities that fizzle at the end. It appears the artistic team behind the movie had great hopes for it to play differently. The reality is this is a film that is looking in different directions in how to bring it to a resolution that ultimately fails. Don't get me wrong, the movie is tremendously appealing and will resonate with a lot of its viewing public.
Based on the strong cast, we decided to take a look. The tremendously talented Kathy Bates is the perfect choice to play Grace Beasley, the woman who finds at the beginning of the film that all is not well in her marriage. Ms. Bates is an excellent actress who deserved much better, even when her character is not helped by what the authors have her do in the film.
Rupert Everett is always dependable into delivering. His role, as the late Victor Fox's lover is well written, that is, until Dirk is lured into coming to Chicago to find Victor's murderer. It's bizarre and it defies all rules of logic. Dirk doesn't look capable of hurting a fly, let alone hunt down a killer with the help of Grace and her daughter-in-law, the incredible funny, Maudey.
As played by Meredith Eaton, this little woman, Maudey, is one of the best things in the film. She's is brash and tells it as she sees it. Peter Sarsgaard, one of the best actors working in films these days has nothing to do in the picture; he is totally wasted. Dan Aykroyd also has nothing to do. We see him at the beginning and at the end of the film and his Max doesn't make sense. He appears to want changes in his life and his marriage, only to come back to Grace without any explanation, all things forgiven.
The English actors are good. Lynn Redgrave has a better opportunity as the hysterical Nola. Jonathan Pryce is seen throughout the film as a ghost singing bland songs. Julie Andrews makes a funny contribution in a couple of priceless scenes.
Ultimately the television show hosted by Sally Jesse Raphael is a turn off and doesn't add anything to the movie. The best part is hearing Kathy Bates singing. What a beautiful voice she has! In fact, Ms. Bates is the best excuse for staying until the end.
Based on the strong cast, we decided to take a look. The tremendously talented Kathy Bates is the perfect choice to play Grace Beasley, the woman who finds at the beginning of the film that all is not well in her marriage. Ms. Bates is an excellent actress who deserved much better, even when her character is not helped by what the authors have her do in the film.
Rupert Everett is always dependable into delivering. His role, as the late Victor Fox's lover is well written, that is, until Dirk is lured into coming to Chicago to find Victor's murderer. It's bizarre and it defies all rules of logic. Dirk doesn't look capable of hurting a fly, let alone hunt down a killer with the help of Grace and her daughter-in-law, the incredible funny, Maudey.
As played by Meredith Eaton, this little woman, Maudey, is one of the best things in the film. She's is brash and tells it as she sees it. Peter Sarsgaard, one of the best actors working in films these days has nothing to do in the picture; he is totally wasted. Dan Aykroyd also has nothing to do. We see him at the beginning and at the end of the film and his Max doesn't make sense. He appears to want changes in his life and his marriage, only to come back to Grace without any explanation, all things forgiven.
The English actors are good. Lynn Redgrave has a better opportunity as the hysterical Nola. Jonathan Pryce is seen throughout the film as a ghost singing bland songs. Julie Andrews makes a funny contribution in a couple of priceless scenes.
Ultimately the television show hosted by Sally Jesse Raphael is a turn off and doesn't add anything to the movie. The best part is hearing Kathy Bates singing. What a beautiful voice she has! In fact, Ms. Bates is the best excuse for staying until the end.
A Pleasant Surprise
horusbedhetys9 November 2004
This film is so many things: corny, touching, hilarious, weepy, maddening...well, you get it - so many things and a really pleasant surprise. I watched it to see Kathy Bates and I fell in love with her talent. Like the movie, she is also many things and shows the complexity of a relatively simple character type (as "D.S." put it - "an American frump"). Yes, she was very frumpy, but with a twist...she had real balls throughout the film and from the time her husband gives her the bad news she begins to show herself that she really didn't need him for validation; her strength shows with her first impulsive decision to go to England and then the fun begins. My favorite scenes are when the Fox sisters realize that they are sharing tea with a fan and, of course, Victor Fox's televised funeral. The end scene, while meandering and very maudlin, touched me and seemed the perfect end to an unexpected adventure. My favorite character was the daughter-in-law, Maudey. What a woman! I'll never see little people the same way again...she was very Chicago.
Delightfully Offbeat Comedy When You Need A Boost
museumofdave23 March 2013
If there's anything more difficult to share with another human than a toasted almond, it's a movie comedy; I've shared "Airplane" with folks who thought it was insufferably stupid, and there are numerous individuals who don't find the W.C. Fields masterpiece "It's A Gift" anything but a bore. When you decide that your best pal has to share Duck Soup with you, and the friend sits stone-faced as Groucho cracks wise, perhaps you even begin to question the nature of your friendship.
That said, this film provided me with genuine humor and frequent laughter; the experience seems to be created on the spot by a batch of skilled actors riffing on an impossible and often illogical script and just deciding to throw in whatever might stick to the wall--and they do it without resorting to stupid humor, to flatulent jokes or urinating dogs; instead, we have references to dozens of films, from "The Wizard of Oz" to "Don't Look Now;" even Julie Andrews appears magically on a stricken aircraft with a tuneful surprise, and...well, if you like slightly nuts, zany humor, you might find this funny. I did, loving the offbeat plot about a left-behind wife and her adventures in another country, but recommended it with caution.
That said, this film provided me with genuine humor and frequent laughter; the experience seems to be created on the spot by a batch of skilled actors riffing on an impossible and often illogical script and just deciding to throw in whatever might stick to the wall--and they do it without resorting to stupid humor, to flatulent jokes or urinating dogs; instead, we have references to dozens of films, from "The Wizard of Oz" to "Don't Look Now;" even Julie Andrews appears magically on a stricken aircraft with a tuneful surprise, and...well, if you like slightly nuts, zany humor, you might find this funny. I did, loving the offbeat plot about a left-behind wife and her adventures in another country, but recommended it with caution.
I laughed so hard
t-claybourne7 April 2007
I am a huge Rupert Everett fan. I adore Kathy Bates so when I saw it available I decided to check it out. The synopsis didn't really tell you much. In parts it was silly , touching and in others some parts were down right hysterical.
Any person that is a huge fan of a personality of any type will find some small identifying traits with the main character. (Of course there are many they won't, but that is the point)
If you like any of the actors give it a watch but don't look for any thing too dramatic it's good fun.
I might also mention you can see how darn tall Rupert is. I mean I knew he was 6'4" but he seems even more in this film. He even seemed to stoop a bit due to the other characters height in this. He is tall! I mean tall!!!! And for you Rupert fans there is a bare chest scene...WONDERFUL!
Any person that is a huge fan of a personality of any type will find some small identifying traits with the main character. (Of course there are many they won't, but that is the point)
If you like any of the actors give it a watch but don't look for any thing too dramatic it's good fun.
I might also mention you can see how darn tall Rupert is. I mean I knew he was 6'4" but he seems even more in this film. He even seemed to stoop a bit due to the other characters height in this. He is tall! I mean tall!!!! And for you Rupert fans there is a bare chest scene...WONDERFUL!
An outrageous comedy with all the heart in the world!
yossarian10011 May 2004
You know, people who make comedies so often forget it's really ok to be outrageous. Well, not this time. Unconditional Love has it all. Barry Manilow and a dwarf in a movie with Cathy Bates as the romantic lead...and it works. Not only does it work, it works very very well. In fact, I think it's perfect. I laughed so hard I think I hurt myself yet the main characters were all so human, so honest, and so very real. But isn't that where great comedies come from? Don't characters need real feelings, real emotions, and the ability to feel real pain? Well, they do in this movie. Unconditional Love is a movie you shouldn't miss, especially if you need a seriously good laugh, or you're at all curious about seeing the psychotic dwarf in the red raincoat.
Enjoyable comedy
filmguyCI3 August 2003
The film starts out promisingly. Grace Beasley (Kathy Bates) is told by her husband of thirty years (Dan Ackroyd) that he no longer wants to be married to her and needs to find excitement in his life. A few days later Grace's favorite singer, Victor Fox, is murdered by a serial killer. About to fall off the deep end, Grace decides to live life herself and impulsively travels to England for the funeral of Mr. Fox. There she meets Dirk Simpson (Rupert Everett), Mr. Fox's long time "valet," and the two form an unusual friendship that benefits them both.
P.J. Hogan, who directed such films as Muriel's Wedding and My Best Friend's Wedding, also wrote and directed this film. Like Muriel, Grace Beasley is an overweight under-appreciated woman who is scared to live life, but ultimately decides to make changes. Kathy Bates does a splendid job in making the audience feel for this character as we slowly watch the transformation. Performances are strong by the whole cast. I would recommend it alone for the hilarious performance by Grace's dwarf daughter in law who steals every scene she's in.
In the last half hour, Grace and Dirk, decide to avenge Victor's death and find the "Crossbow Killer." At this point the characters lose credibility and the film goes way over the top. Director P.J. Hogan seems to enjoy adding scenes in his films where the characters break into song. Remember the funny "Say a Little Prayer" scene at the restaurant in My Best Friend's Wedding? Here the idea is used three times. Twice in unnecessary cameos by Julie Andrews and once in a scene on the Sally Jesse Raphael show. These musical numbers are really not that funny or necessary and detract from the film.
Despite the flaws, "Unconditional Love" ultimately wins you over with its heart. I guarantee you'll leave this film in a better mood.
P.J. Hogan, who directed such films as Muriel's Wedding and My Best Friend's Wedding, also wrote and directed this film. Like Muriel, Grace Beasley is an overweight under-appreciated woman who is scared to live life, but ultimately decides to make changes. Kathy Bates does a splendid job in making the audience feel for this character as we slowly watch the transformation. Performances are strong by the whole cast. I would recommend it alone for the hilarious performance by Grace's dwarf daughter in law who steals every scene she's in.
In the last half hour, Grace and Dirk, decide to avenge Victor's death and find the "Crossbow Killer." At this point the characters lose credibility and the film goes way over the top. Director P.J. Hogan seems to enjoy adding scenes in his films where the characters break into song. Remember the funny "Say a Little Prayer" scene at the restaurant in My Best Friend's Wedding? Here the idea is used three times. Twice in unnecessary cameos by Julie Andrews and once in a scene on the Sally Jesse Raphael show. These musical numbers are really not that funny or necessary and detract from the film.
Despite the flaws, "Unconditional Love" ultimately wins you over with its heart. I guarantee you'll leave this film in a better mood.
So Weird but so very great!!!
PhilauraJ1 December 2003
My husband and I both loved this film. At first my husband was skeptical and asked how many points he got for sitting through this one. But after a few key scenes he was totally sucked in and by the end he was convinced it was one of the best movies going. Kathleen Bates has never been so wonderfully loveable and the rest of the cast is just simply fantastic. Thank you for this beautiful film.
Strange, but funny as hell
elyrest3 August 2003
This is one of the oddest movies I have watched in a long while. Usually if they are this strange I bail out early and rarely regret it. Luckily, I held on for this one. While I can't say that this is a great movie (it isn't), I can say that watching it is rather like a good acid trip - only a few really awful moments and the rest filled with "did I really just see that?" wonderment. Lots of laugh out loud moments. A great cast of characters with Meredith Eaton outstanding as the dwarf daughter-in-law with an attitude. Keep an open mind.
Rather silly
mochuck1 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I happened to catch this movie on late night TV. I saw the opening credits and thought this looks good. Well I was very wrong. While not excruciatingly bad (it had some funny and tender moments)it lacked any sense of cohesion.
It started off well enough with Kathy Bates'character having a midlife crisis of sorts when her husband leaves her and her singing idol is murdered. But Kathy has played these disaffected women so well before - think Fried Green Tomatoes. The problem wasn't Kathy, it was the clueless screenplay that wandered all over the place. It was as if the writers must have been thinking what will we do next. The script also felt very contrived.
Some others who have posted comments on this movie have wondered why it didn't receive a cinematic release. The main reason I think would have been to avoid embarrassment and the critics would have murdered it.
Having said all that I thought the small woman who played Maudie was fantastic and stole the movie, not to mention how beautiful she is.
It started off well enough with Kathy Bates'character having a midlife crisis of sorts when her husband leaves her and her singing idol is murdered. But Kathy has played these disaffected women so well before - think Fried Green Tomatoes. The problem wasn't Kathy, it was the clueless screenplay that wandered all over the place. It was as if the writers must have been thinking what will we do next. The script also felt very contrived.
Some others who have posted comments on this movie have wondered why it didn't receive a cinematic release. The main reason I think would have been to avoid embarrassment and the critics would have murdered it.
Having said all that I thought the small woman who played Maudie was fantastic and stole the movie, not to mention how beautiful she is.
Delightful
lena77126 April 2004
I found this movie to be extremely delightful.I am biased I suppose.I happen to adore Kathy Bates.I found her singing an added pleasure.She has a very nice voice.
Ms Bates plays Grace Beasley.The film takes you from her doledrums married life in Chicago to England,the home of her recently murdered singing idol Victor Fox.There she meets his three surviving uppity sisters.She also discovers that Victor leaves behind a male lover,Dirk Simpson.
The story leads you on to some surprisingly comedic and heartwarming situations as Grace and Dirk develop a true fondness for each other,after an initial rather rude rejection,on his part.They return to Chicago where they team up with Grace's pint-sized,hilarious daughter-in-law,Maudie,to find the serial killer who murdered Victor.
Everyone in the picture did a fine job.Particularly enjoyed Julie Andrews,Lynn Redgrave and Barry Manilow.This movie was fun.It makes you cry.The music is absolutely charming.
Other posters here who found problems with any parts of this movie,just don't have a clue.
Ms Bates plays Grace Beasley.The film takes you from her doledrums married life in Chicago to England,the home of her recently murdered singing idol Victor Fox.There she meets his three surviving uppity sisters.She also discovers that Victor leaves behind a male lover,Dirk Simpson.
The story leads you on to some surprisingly comedic and heartwarming situations as Grace and Dirk develop a true fondness for each other,after an initial rather rude rejection,on his part.They return to Chicago where they team up with Grace's pint-sized,hilarious daughter-in-law,Maudie,to find the serial killer who murdered Victor.
Everyone in the picture did a fine job.Particularly enjoyed Julie Andrews,Lynn Redgrave and Barry Manilow.This movie was fun.It makes you cry.The music is absolutely charming.
Other posters here who found problems with any parts of this movie,just don't have a clue.
Had me to the end...literally
mswatsoninc28 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
What a movie. It could have easily been a 10...but, it ended up being barely a 7 to me. How is that possible? The last third of the movie is the true casualty in this "whodunit." The acting isn't the blame. Kathy Bates, Rupert Everett, Michelle Eaton (the character playing Maudie, in case I slipped on the actress's name), and even more minor characters like those portrayed by Lynn Redgrave and Dan Ackroyd, all gave wonderful performances. Particularly touching was Everett, who played the widowed lover of Johnathan Price's Victor Fox. Even the ever present, though recently murdered, Fox character didn't bother me. What bothered me was the fact that all these wonderful performances were pretty much abandoned once the script takes the story on a quest to find Fox's "crossbow killer" under the city of Chicago, with Bates, Everett, and Eaton leading the crusade.
Suspension of disbelief aside, the way that it's handled was too zany, madcap, and over the top for anyone to seriously consider it possible. The climactic scene on the draw bridge where the widow washing, crossbow wielding, singer hating, mommy avenging serial killer is taken out with a cell phone had me scratching my head as to how on earth it was possible for such a well crafted film to have reached this destination. Then, when the day is saved, Maudie, Dirk, and Grace find themselves being lauded on the Sally Jesse Raphael show...complete with a Barry Manilow cameo and the entire cast singing "I Can't Smile Without You." Another poster described this scene as painful...what a true assessment that is. I would add embarrassing to the list of adjectives describing it. And, it's a real shame, too...
When the smoke clears, I'm still a fan of P.J. Hogan, Bates, Everett, and Redgrave, and was impressed by the pint size dynamo, Eaton, but it's not too hard to realize why many people didn't hear of this film during its theatrical release, and caught it on cable only recently.
Suspension of disbelief aside, the way that it's handled was too zany, madcap, and over the top for anyone to seriously consider it possible. The climactic scene on the draw bridge where the widow washing, crossbow wielding, singer hating, mommy avenging serial killer is taken out with a cell phone had me scratching my head as to how on earth it was possible for such a well crafted film to have reached this destination. Then, when the day is saved, Maudie, Dirk, and Grace find themselves being lauded on the Sally Jesse Raphael show...complete with a Barry Manilow cameo and the entire cast singing "I Can't Smile Without You." Another poster described this scene as painful...what a true assessment that is. I would add embarrassing to the list of adjectives describing it. And, it's a real shame, too...
When the smoke clears, I'm still a fan of P.J. Hogan, Bates, Everett, and Redgrave, and was impressed by the pint size dynamo, Eaton, but it's not too hard to realize why many people didn't hear of this film during its theatrical release, and caught it on cable only recently.
Kathy Bates struggles valiantly to make something out of nothing...
moonspinner5517 March 2008
Director/co-writer P.J. Hogan loves a merry melange of raucous comedy and group sing along (the music motifs in his films have gone from ABBA to Burt Bacharach to Barry Manilow here--with Manilow present and accounted for!). Kathy Bates looks a little misplaced starring as a dumped-on housewife in Chicago whose idol, a ladies-man singer (Jonathan Pryce, channeling Peter Allen), has been murdered near her apartment by a serial killer; she travels to London for the funeral, befriending the star's secret gay lover and deciding they must go back to the States and bring the killer to justice. Even when she's playing it light and airy, there's a tension in Bates' work which makes her a little scary; she's like a hanging judge, with even her beatific smile capable of going either way. Still, Kathy tries hard to make good on this shrill, cartoony material, which is just too eccentric for its own good. Rupert Everett plays her new friend, Dan Aykroyd (looking sheepish) is Bates' ex-husband, and Meredith Eaton plays Bates' daughter-in-law, a little person with a take-no-prisoners approach to life. All have some good moments in this highly irregular, unsubstantial, woebegone sentimental comedy which ends in a torrent of good will on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show. Oprah must have been booked that week. ** from ****
This might be my new favorite "comfort film".
Elfpiper15 August 2004
I found this film by accident while shopping a sale of used DVDs at my local video rental store. I hadn't heard of it but Kathy Bates is always worth watching, so I didn't even look at the back of the package for the rest of the credits.
I got it home and was hooked from the beginning credits when the singer turns around and it is Jonathan Pryce. (I fell in lurrrrrrrve with his voice years ago in "Jumping Jack Flash, in which he IS just a voice for most of the film.) And even though he sings the most incredibly cheesy songs imaginable here, if there was a soundtrack I would buy it in an instant.
I enjoy movies which aren't easy to categorize. Here on IMDb it is listed as a Drama/Comedy/Musical/Thriller. That sums it up pretty well as far as I am concerned. If you need to have every little thing in a movie spelled out clearly and make perfect sense you will probably not enjoy this one. The whole movie has a slightly surrealistic feel and I loved the way it flows between reality and fantasy. It reminded me of Harry Sinclair's wonderful "The Price of Milk", but that wasn't a film for everybody, either.
Incidentally, no one so far seems to have mentioned the first credited screenwriter, Jocelyn Moorhouse. If you did like "Unconditional Love", you might want to see another film she wrote and directed called "Proof", with Hugo Weaving and Russell Crowe. It also was very strange/odd/beautiful/moving and hard to classify.
I got it home and was hooked from the beginning credits when the singer turns around and it is Jonathan Pryce. (I fell in lurrrrrrrve with his voice years ago in "Jumping Jack Flash, in which he IS just a voice for most of the film.) And even though he sings the most incredibly cheesy songs imaginable here, if there was a soundtrack I would buy it in an instant.
I enjoy movies which aren't easy to categorize. Here on IMDb it is listed as a Drama/Comedy/Musical/Thriller. That sums it up pretty well as far as I am concerned. If you need to have every little thing in a movie spelled out clearly and make perfect sense you will probably not enjoy this one. The whole movie has a slightly surrealistic feel and I loved the way it flows between reality and fantasy. It reminded me of Harry Sinclair's wonderful "The Price of Milk", but that wasn't a film for everybody, either.
Incidentally, no one so far seems to have mentioned the first credited screenwriter, Jocelyn Moorhouse. If you did like "Unconditional Love", you might want to see another film she wrote and directed called "Proof", with Hugo Weaving and Russell Crowe. It also was very strange/odd/beautiful/moving and hard to classify.
Funny, sweet, unique
valkyr4 August 2003
What a shame this movie was never released. (It is now playing on cable.) I tuned in based on my high regard for the stars and was rewarded by seeing a movie far better than the ones I've been paying to see in theatres recently. I like to be surprised. So often movies are marketed as "offbeat," but are in fact more of the same old recycled drivel. This movie is genuinely different, with the bonus of a heartwarming message. Jonathan Pryce sings like an angel. Even though he is required by the plot to sing some of the most mawkishly sentimental songs ever written, he does them so well one doesn't mind. Cathy Bates and Rupert Everett are well-cast and superb, but a newcomer in the role of Cathy Bates' daughter-in-law steals every scene she is in. Give this film a chance.
A Delightful, Original and Weird Dramatic Comedy
claudio_carvalho23 September 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Minor Spoilers
In Chicago, Grace Beasley (Kathy Bates) is a housewife having a twenty-five years marriage with the lawyer Max Beasley (Dan Aykroyd) and a hysterical and psychotic dwarf daughter-in-law, Maudey (Meredith Eaton). Grace worships the singer Victor Fox (Jonathan Price), who will present a TV show in Chicago and will give five spots on the first row in a TV promotion. Kate calls the show and wins a ticket, when Max simultaneously asks for the divorce, claiming that their lives are too monotonous. Grace becomes depressed, and when she goes to the show, the audience is informed that a Chicago serial killer, who uses a crossbow, killed Victor Fox. With a broken heart, she decides to fly to England to Victor Fox's funeral. There, she realizes that he was gay, and becomes friend of his former mate Dirk Simpson (Rupert Everett). They fly back to Chicago, trying to find the killer. This movie is a delightful, original and weird dramatic comedy, having bizarre characters. It has a huge potential to be a cult-movie, with the presences of Julie Andrews and Barry Manilow themselves and a joke with Nicolas Roeg's masterpiece 'Don't Look Now', when Maudey wears a red raincoat in Chicago's underground part of the city. The beginning of the movie, with Jonathan Price singing 'Hitchcock Railway', is wonderful. I have repeated it four consecutive times. The cast has a magnificent performance, highlighting Kathy Bates, Jonathan Price, Rupert Everett and the unknown Meredith Eaton. Indeed, this movie is an excellent entertainment. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): 'Amor a Toda Prova' ('Love to the Proof')
In Chicago, Grace Beasley (Kathy Bates) is a housewife having a twenty-five years marriage with the lawyer Max Beasley (Dan Aykroyd) and a hysterical and psychotic dwarf daughter-in-law, Maudey (Meredith Eaton). Grace worships the singer Victor Fox (Jonathan Price), who will present a TV show in Chicago and will give five spots on the first row in a TV promotion. Kate calls the show and wins a ticket, when Max simultaneously asks for the divorce, claiming that their lives are too monotonous. Grace becomes depressed, and when she goes to the show, the audience is informed that a Chicago serial killer, who uses a crossbow, killed Victor Fox. With a broken heart, she decides to fly to England to Victor Fox's funeral. There, she realizes that he was gay, and becomes friend of his former mate Dirk Simpson (Rupert Everett). They fly back to Chicago, trying to find the killer. This movie is a delightful, original and weird dramatic comedy, having bizarre characters. It has a huge potential to be a cult-movie, with the presences of Julie Andrews and Barry Manilow themselves and a joke with Nicolas Roeg's masterpiece 'Don't Look Now', when Maudey wears a red raincoat in Chicago's underground part of the city. The beginning of the movie, with Jonathan Price singing 'Hitchcock Railway', is wonderful. I have repeated it four consecutive times. The cast has a magnificent performance, highlighting Kathy Bates, Jonathan Price, Rupert Everett and the unknown Meredith Eaton. Indeed, this movie is an excellent entertainment. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): 'Amor a Toda Prova' ('Love to the Proof')
Coulda been a contender
pclem7015 November 2004
This movie definitely had some potential in the "feel-good" "chick-flick" genre, but the editing and direction combined for a ham-fisted mess, and most sit-coms have better writing. A cute idea, an excellent cast, and a total waste of time.
Rupert Everett, Kathy Bates, and Dan Akroyd were all well-cast, and handled the roles given them as well as humanly possible. The casting of Johnathon Pryce as the Sinatra/Elvis/Englebert Humperdink character might've worked with a better script, but as it was, it seemed either a moronic turn or a failed attempt at humor by way of mockery. The scenes with Julie Andrews breaking into song to calm riotous crowds were quite funny, and Meredith Eaton was a lot of fun as sex-crazed, hard-as-nails-but-with-a-heart-of-gold midget (the writers incorrectly labeled her a dwarf).
Anglothropes will also find plenty of Britishness at which to point their condescending laughter.
I'm glad i "netflixed" it instead of having to live with the memory of handing over cash for this poor-quality entertainment.
Rupert Everett, Kathy Bates, and Dan Akroyd were all well-cast, and handled the roles given them as well as humanly possible. The casting of Johnathon Pryce as the Sinatra/Elvis/Englebert Humperdink character might've worked with a better script, but as it was, it seemed either a moronic turn or a failed attempt at humor by way of mockery. The scenes with Julie Andrews breaking into song to calm riotous crowds were quite funny, and Meredith Eaton was a lot of fun as sex-crazed, hard-as-nails-but-with-a-heart-of-gold midget (the writers incorrectly labeled her a dwarf).
Anglothropes will also find plenty of Britishness at which to point their condescending laughter.
I'm glad i "netflixed" it instead of having to live with the memory of handing over cash for this poor-quality entertainment.
A Surprise Sleeper
bw1126 March 2007
We loved this movie because it was so entertaining and off beat-- Not your usual Hollywood drivel.
My husband had a Blockbuster coupon and passed on a string of new releases of violent Hollywood stuff. He was about to walk out when he saw this and decided to take a chance. There was only one copy -- and with some glitches in the DVD that we finally had to flip to wide screen version and then back to the full screen version to make it stop stalling. But it was worth it. Cathy Bates is so good and she was so perfect for the role. And she can sing too!
If only Hollywood would learn from Independent film makers! Maybe we would go back to the real movies. But for now, we're sticking with off beat and really entertaining films like this one! Other examples we've enjoyed include: A Box Full of Moonlight, Pieces of April, Delivering Milo, The Celestine Prophesy. Most of the ones by Christopher Guest such as: Best in Show, For your Consideration, A Mighty Wind, and Waiting for Guffman
My husband had a Blockbuster coupon and passed on a string of new releases of violent Hollywood stuff. He was about to walk out when he saw this and decided to take a chance. There was only one copy -- and with some glitches in the DVD that we finally had to flip to wide screen version and then back to the full screen version to make it stop stalling. But it was worth it. Cathy Bates is so good and she was so perfect for the role. And she can sing too!
If only Hollywood would learn from Independent film makers! Maybe we would go back to the real movies. But for now, we're sticking with off beat and really entertaining films like this one! Other examples we've enjoyed include: A Box Full of Moonlight, Pieces of April, Delivering Milo, The Celestine Prophesy. Most of the ones by Christopher Guest such as: Best in Show, For your Consideration, A Mighty Wind, and Waiting for Guffman
A trainwreck of a movie with no focus
pn2117 February 2004
OK, let me just say that I registered for IMDB for the sole purpose of expressing how bad I thought this movie was. Laughably bad. One comment on this board said "I can't believe I never heard of this movie - it couldn't have been a straight to video release." While I was watching this movie, I actually wondered how it could have possibly made it past audience screening and into the theaters in the first place.
I really enjoyed the first 30 minutes of this movie. It actually seemed as if we were going somewhere with the arc of the story - a woman loses favorite singer and husband at the same time, and sets off for England to find meaning in her life. Fair enough. She meets the relatives of the singer, and finds that he wasn't exactly as advertised. We have some really funny revelations and interactions at this point. But then they (Kathy Bates, and Vincent Fox's lover, Rupert Everret) travel back to the US to try and hunt down the killer, and suddenly it turns into an amatuerish whodunit. The bulk of the characters' actions, especially by Everret, at the end of the movie are completely out of character from what we have learned about them in the first half of the film. It's as if someone stopped editing the script at the midway part of the film, and the whole thing goes flying around with arms waving until we have a completely unconvincing and painful Barry Manilow/Sally Jesse Rafael singalong at the end. It took more than 2 hours to eventually tell us that, well, I don't really know what it told us. Maybe there's a message here, but it was clouded by all of the incredibly superfluous action in the last 45 minutes.
I see that the working title of this movie was "Who Shot Victor Fox", which suggests a grossly different kind of movie than does "Unconditional Love". That's perfect - even the writers didn't appear to know what the point of this movie was.
I really enjoyed the first 30 minutes of this movie. It actually seemed as if we were going somewhere with the arc of the story - a woman loses favorite singer and husband at the same time, and sets off for England to find meaning in her life. Fair enough. She meets the relatives of the singer, and finds that he wasn't exactly as advertised. We have some really funny revelations and interactions at this point. But then they (Kathy Bates, and Vincent Fox's lover, Rupert Everret) travel back to the US to try and hunt down the killer, and suddenly it turns into an amatuerish whodunit. The bulk of the characters' actions, especially by Everret, at the end of the movie are completely out of character from what we have learned about them in the first half of the film. It's as if someone stopped editing the script at the midway part of the film, and the whole thing goes flying around with arms waving until we have a completely unconvincing and painful Barry Manilow/Sally Jesse Rafael singalong at the end. It took more than 2 hours to eventually tell us that, well, I don't really know what it told us. Maybe there's a message here, but it was clouded by all of the incredibly superfluous action in the last 45 minutes.
I see that the working title of this movie was "Who Shot Victor Fox", which suggests a grossly different kind of movie than does "Unconditional Love". That's perfect - even the writers didn't appear to know what the point of this movie was.
A Funny, Touching Movie (that's loaded with talent)!
Stormy_Autumn28 November 2005
Whether it is in drama or comedy, I enjoy Kathy Bates's acting. She always presents her character in a real way that isn't a carbon copy of her last role. And in this "particular movie" we get to say, "Man, what a voice that woman has!"
Kathy Bates is wonderfully funny in the role of Grace Beasley whose life is falling a part. Her husband has left her. Her favorite crooner, Victor Fox (Jonathan Pryce), has been murdered while in Grace's home town of Chicago, Illinois. The only moral support in her life comes from her daughter-in-law, Maudey Beasley (Meredith Eaton), who is a little person with a big, understanding heart. (Maudey is married to Grace's only son, Andrew.)
After Victor's death, Grace decides to go to England. She wants to attend his funeral. She desires to be of help to his family. Instead she learns that a young gay man, Dirk Simpson (Rupert Everett) is his family. And that Victor's "blood family" is trying to take everything Victor left to Dirk. (Victor's sisters are played by Lynn Redgrave and Stephanie Beacham.)
Dirk has been hurt by Victor's death and the treatment he has received from the family. So, needless to say, it takes a bit for Grace to gain Dirk's trust. Once she does, she talks him into going to Chicago to solve Victor's murder. The outcome of their hard work turns up surprises concerning Victor's death.
Then there's all that happens to move Grace towards independence, much to the dismay of husband, Max (Dan Aykroyd).
This film is worth your time!
Among the highlights of this movie are the roles played by Julie Andrews and Lynn Redgrave. What fun they added. AND getting to hear Grace (Kathy Bates) sing, along with a surprise accompanist.
Kathy Bates is wonderfully funny in the role of Grace Beasley whose life is falling a part. Her husband has left her. Her favorite crooner, Victor Fox (Jonathan Pryce), has been murdered while in Grace's home town of Chicago, Illinois. The only moral support in her life comes from her daughter-in-law, Maudey Beasley (Meredith Eaton), who is a little person with a big, understanding heart. (Maudey is married to Grace's only son, Andrew.)
After Victor's death, Grace decides to go to England. She wants to attend his funeral. She desires to be of help to his family. Instead she learns that a young gay man, Dirk Simpson (Rupert Everett) is his family. And that Victor's "blood family" is trying to take everything Victor left to Dirk. (Victor's sisters are played by Lynn Redgrave and Stephanie Beacham.)
Dirk has been hurt by Victor's death and the treatment he has received from the family. So, needless to say, it takes a bit for Grace to gain Dirk's trust. Once she does, she talks him into going to Chicago to solve Victor's murder. The outcome of their hard work turns up surprises concerning Victor's death.
Then there's all that happens to move Grace towards independence, much to the dismay of husband, Max (Dan Aykroyd).
This film is worth your time!
Among the highlights of this movie are the roles played by Julie Andrews and Lynn Redgrave. What fun they added. AND getting to hear Grace (Kathy Bates) sing, along with a surprise accompanist.
Enjoyable, if confused
istara21 March 2018
I greatly enjoyed Unconditional Love (2002) while also being able to see why the film wasn't a commercial success. The problem is that rather than straddling genres, it attempts to be multiple genres.
First, Kathy Bates is initially starring in a typically American Lifestyle movie of a middle-aged woman "finding herself" after her husband has a mid-life crisis.
Then we move to the UK, where we're in a kind of Richard Curtis black comedy (at one point they even sing one of the songs from Four Weddings and a Funeral). Various famous British actors pop up in the same kinds of comedic cameos that one would expect in such films. This even includes Julie Andrews, twice calming down a crisis with "Getting To Know You" (why not "My Favourite Things"?!)
Finally we return to the US, where we're in a sort of B-grade mystery thriller, sort of Hallmark Channel-does-Silence-of-the-Lambs. This still gets interspersed with comedic and surreal singing and dancing sequences, and then we're back to screaming/running/chasing with Rupert Everett in a glittery jacket being the most histrionic of the lot.
Meredith Eaton, an actress of physically short stature, has an interesting role. She plays Kathy Bates' daughter, a woman with dwarfism, but her character's condition is alternately used to make a meaningful point about prejudice and diversity, and then for comedic effect. Does it work? I don't know. Sometimes it felt rather awkward.
The biggest clash is really the American schmaltz versus the British black humour. I was reminded of Finding Your Feet (2017), a British comedy drama that also features a central character who is a middle aged woman suddenly dumped by her husband who has to find herself. That film has far more tragedy and poignancy than Unconditional Love, and is much more bittersweet than comedic, but it works much better.
Perhaps being sharper simply enables a movie to be more sincere. Rupert Everett sniping about gay persecution is far more sympathetic and poignant than Kathy Bates schmaltzing about "unconditional love" and human relations.
Unconditional Love ends with a huge singing performance that includes Barry Manilow. That possibly tells you more about this movie than anything else could.
First, Kathy Bates is initially starring in a typically American Lifestyle movie of a middle-aged woman "finding herself" after her husband has a mid-life crisis.
Then we move to the UK, where we're in a kind of Richard Curtis black comedy (at one point they even sing one of the songs from Four Weddings and a Funeral). Various famous British actors pop up in the same kinds of comedic cameos that one would expect in such films. This even includes Julie Andrews, twice calming down a crisis with "Getting To Know You" (why not "My Favourite Things"?!)
Finally we return to the US, where we're in a sort of B-grade mystery thriller, sort of Hallmark Channel-does-Silence-of-the-Lambs. This still gets interspersed with comedic and surreal singing and dancing sequences, and then we're back to screaming/running/chasing with Rupert Everett in a glittery jacket being the most histrionic of the lot.
Meredith Eaton, an actress of physically short stature, has an interesting role. She plays Kathy Bates' daughter, a woman with dwarfism, but her character's condition is alternately used to make a meaningful point about prejudice and diversity, and then for comedic effect. Does it work? I don't know. Sometimes it felt rather awkward.
The biggest clash is really the American schmaltz versus the British black humour. I was reminded of Finding Your Feet (2017), a British comedy drama that also features a central character who is a middle aged woman suddenly dumped by her husband who has to find herself. That film has far more tragedy and poignancy than Unconditional Love, and is much more bittersweet than comedic, but it works much better.
Perhaps being sharper simply enables a movie to be more sincere. Rupert Everett sniping about gay persecution is far more sympathetic and poignant than Kathy Bates schmaltzing about "unconditional love" and human relations.
Unconditional Love ends with a huge singing performance that includes Barry Manilow. That possibly tells you more about this movie than anything else could.
Great Movie
montage-43 March 2005
Unconditional Love is one of the best movies I've seen in a while. It's an emotional roller-coaster. One of my favorite scenes is the pub scene. When Dirk tells Grace that he didn't want to go to the pub because the villagers don't like him, you expect the worst. When the old woman holds her glass up and says 'To the Memory of Victor Fox and the whole pub follows suit, I wanted to cry. The funeral scene is hysterical! Julie does it in her typical Julie Andrews style. Johnathan Pryce is excellent as Victor. Grace is one of Kathy Bates' best roles. Meredith Eaton steals just about every scene that she is in. Rupert Everett does some of his finest work in Unconditional as Dirk. The Kiss between Rupert and Meredith took me to another bout of hysterics. In this day and age of Gay rights being questioned, I think this movie should be seen by all. As a gay Man in my late 40's I have seen people lose everything when a loved one dies. So kudo's to all involved in the making of this film.
What the Hell?!?!?!?!
Pale-421 November 2003
This movie is stuffed like a tortilla with like six different genres. Which is fine. But it's like Taco Bell tortilla. It's all mushy inside. Now get this straight cause I'm only going to say it once. Kathy Bates plays a housewife who's only joy is to hear her favorite singer Victor Fox (Jonathan Pryce). He is killed the same time her husband (Dan Ayckroyd) leaves her. On impulse, she goes to London to Victor's funeral and meets his lover (Rupert Everett)and together, they decide to hunt down the serial killer who killed Victor. Oh, it's a comedy, I mean drama, I mean . . . i don't know what the hell this is.
And there's a dwarf. Who easily steals the film. Why? Because she's funny, spunky and a joy to watch. She is played by Meredith Eaton.
The rest of the film is a train wreck. A well shot train wreck but a train wreck none the less. Or was that a tortilla. I can't remember. My brain hurts.
And there's a dwarf. Who easily steals the film. Why? Because she's funny, spunky and a joy to watch. She is played by Meredith Eaton.
The rest of the film is a train wreck. A well shot train wreck but a train wreck none the less. Or was that a tortilla. I can't remember. My brain hurts.
I hadn't even heard of this movie, but it's great!! Don't miss it!
perkapita31 May 2004
Man, I had my doubts. I love Kathy Bates, but I thought, how good can this be, I had never even heard of this thing...! You know, it was one of those things, we gave it "20 minutes and we'll turn it off if it sucks" and we were locked in from the get-go. This is a very winsome, fun movie. It's quirky, you know? I mean, you've got a lounge singer, a murderer (and a believable one), you have farce, then Kathy Bates in all her acting splendor, Rupert Everett finally acting to his real potential, Dan Ackroyd, and a dwarf that will make you laugh out loud. I tell ya, you'll laugh/you'll cry.
Maybe I had a weird week, but I think this film is on the level of Fried Green Tomatoes. If you don't like that movie, maybe you won't like this, but I think it was a great movie. I went out and bought the DVD.
Maybe I had a weird week, but I think this film is on the level of Fried Green Tomatoes. If you don't like that movie, maybe you won't like this, but I think it was a great movie. I went out and bought the DVD.
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