Love Comes to the Executioner (2006) User Reviews

My 4th Review: Being kookie is not enough

[intelearts · 5/10 · 22 August 2006]

This is a mixed film - it could be darker, it could be funnier - but the plotting was unpredictable, and there are moments of strangeness.

The characters are too whimsical to be really effective - even in broad comedy. The ideas though are original - though I got the sense that the writers sat and said how can we make this more original - but originality is no substitute for soul - and though the filming, script, and acting are good the film lacks a soul - it ends up feeling like a darker but weakly weak episode of My Name is Earl - and it just isn't funny enough. The humor is OK, but it definitely is not on target most of the time.

Could have been the next Buppa Ho-Tep ends up as a kookie film without a soul...

A sleeping giant

[MOSSBIE · 25 December 2007]

How this film never made it to the top of immediate cult status is beyond me. It is clever, witty, dark in a very heavy way (turn off for people who have kin in jails) and some of the best dialog which, in many cases require a better than high school education. If you studied Latin, there are some double meanings or "entendres" all through this film. Really good performances by all and if you have to, buy this one. Not for grannies who watch cook shows and knit. To give one a taste of the writing, check out the memorable lines here which are out of context. Also, look up the cast to see the credits and the dark roles a couple of the actors have appeared. This is not to say they can only do dark, hilariously witty films. One of the actors played the lead in "Dahmer" and goes from a very somber character to one that it a great comic flair.

Waiste of time

[Barbaverde123 · 1/10 · 7 September 2006]

If hell exists, this movie will win an Oscar over there. The torture would be that you will be made to watch it, and watch it get an Oscar.

TOTAL WAISTE OF TIME, LIFE AND ENERGY.

Story sucked, started sort of OK, might have been something but then turned into some stupid boring redneck crap. I had to forward it to see the end and that's it.

I waisted 40 min before I realised that this is going nowhere.

When it started and we got to the death row topic, thought this might be an interesting "noir" ,some sort of black comedy about death row.

Turned out it is SH#T.

Flawed yet funny

[crestmere · 7/10 · 4 January 2008]

I just watched a recording of this movie that I had made from IFC or Sundance. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised and disappointed by the film. For anyone who has ever tried to write a black comedy, it is one of the hardest genres out there to try and pull off. There is the risk of not being dark enough or not being funny enough. there is also the risk that a black comedy about a controversial subject will alienate a large portion of the potential audience. The film had a few genuinely brilliant moments but they never seemed to work together particularly well. The acting was strong by indie film standards, particularly for a movie that placed a large emphasis on quirky characters. Tucker was excellent as the main character, a man who could move from meek to menacing seamlessly. Ginnifer Goodwin came off as a bit over the top at times but her performance near the end of the film made up for a few issues near the beginning. Jeremy Renner plays serial killers well, though this character lacked the depth of the man he played in Dahmer. If there was one major problem I had with the film, it was that it never really took a vocal stance on the death penalty.

Overall, this is a movie that is worth watching if you have the time and nothing else better on the Tivo.

Dark comedy kinda grows on you

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 3 July 2007]

Jonathan Tucker (Hostage, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) play Heck, who gets a job as the Closer in a prison. That's a nice term for executioner. His brother Chick (Jonathan Tucker - Dahmer, 28 Weeks Later) is on death row, as is Chick's former girlfriend, Dori (Ginnifer Goodwin - Walk the line).

This movie just gets weird as Heck falls in love with Dori and wants to do the job of his own brother. Heck and Dori manage to have sex in a position that I doubt is in the Kama Sutra - through the cell bars. Getting her pregnant is a way of delaying her execution. I told you this was weird.

If you liked Clay Pigeons or Heathers, then this film is for you.

Best Written Movie

[bethlynn327 · 10/10 · 19 March 2005]

I saw Love Comes to the Executioner Friday, March 18 at SXSW Film Festival. It is the most original film I've seen, maybe ever. Memento was also very original. (just to give you my point of reference) I've literally never seen anything like this film. It's going to be billed as a dark comedy, but it's not that dark. It's just hysterical in a smart, sick sort of way. I wish I could find the screenplay online, because it has some of the best lines I've ever heard in a film. I have a feeling if it gets distribution, and I can't imagine it won't, it'll be a cult classic and be quoted along the lines of Office Space. While the plot is pretty simple, although not entirely predictable, it really is the dialog that makes this movie so unique. The main cast really pull off their quirky characters.

Film Noir: A Dark Comedy with Some Major Statements to Make

[gradyharp · 7/10 · 2 January 2008]

Kyle Bergersen wrote and directed this very strange comedic film noir, a movie that didn't get a lot of attention in its theatrical release but that is gaining a following in the DVD format. It is smart, clever, weird, and very well made. Bergersen has the ability to take a rather silly story to reveal a lot of important questions about education, capital punishment, prison life, and the delicate balance between humanity and inhumanity! LOVE COMES TO THE EXECUTIONER works.

Heck Prigusivac (Jonathan Tucker) is a fresh graduate form college, having majored in Latin and Romance Languages, who returns to his small hometown where his ditsy alcoholic mother Miriam (Christine Ebersole) struggles with her addiction and with the fact that her son Chick (Jeremy Renner) sits on Death Row in the neighboring prison. Heck lands a job teaching Latin to the inmates, but with the proviso that he also accept the job as Closer (or Executioner). Heck adjusts to the strange situation and manages to learn the trade of capital punishment by lethal injection. He confronts his estranged brother Chick on death row and the two have word battles about their relationship AND the fact that Chick's ex-girlfriend Dori Dumchovic (Ginnifer Goodwin) is the first female to sit on death row a few cells down form Chick. Heck and Dori flirt and Heck 'falls' for Dori, actually impregnating her in the confines of the prison. Heck manages to become a popular Latin teacher with the inmates, but has some psychological stress as the Closer - especially as the time for Heck to execute Dori approaches. Through a clever trick that backfires, Heck agrees to help Dori escape the prison so that the two can raise their 'child', but Chick's streetwise abilities alter the plan, and love doesn't exactly stay around for the executioner! Tucker, Renner, and Goodwin play the script straight and manage to draw us into their individual plights and dilemmas. The cinematography by Jimmy Lindsey keeps this 'interior' film exciting, even during the rather gross execution scenes. It is a strange way to present anti-capital punishment information, along side the death of the teaching of Latin and the Romance languages as markers for civility, that makes this film worth watching. It is a notch above the similar stories that dumb down the audience. Grady Harp

A wonderful, quirky comedy about death and love

[bosharmon · 10/10 · 8 March 2007]

I was surprised to see how low viewer ratings were for this fun, quirky film. The only way I can imagine someone not liking the movie would be if they have a hard time appreciating unconventional, bizarre, boundary breaking themes or they aren't in the mood for strange humor. It had the same tone as Clay Pigeons or similar films.I kept thinking, as I was watching the film, how well the director and actors were able to pull it off, given the subject matter, the weirdness of the dialog,events, and circumstances in the story. This is one of the most imaginative and intelligent stories I have seen in terms of a tongue in cheek depiction of philosophical and ethical quandaries. I am a fan of Jonathan Tucker and Christine Ebersole(more than ever after viewing this film). All the major roles were well played, the cinematography,excellent, and camera work, extremely clever.

Awesome Film!!!

[blueeyesjames · 10/10 · 14 June 2007]

Just sat down to breakfast and this came on Starz. had no idea what to expect. Laughing hysterically, although the subject matter wouldn't make you think so! Crying, (real man-tears) by the end!

Yes it's a dark comedy, think Heathers or something similar. Great cast, non-stop quoteables in it! I know this differs from the other review but I say give it a shot! Jeremy Renner is a hot actor. I saw him in "CSI" and "Dahmer". I'm suggesting this to people who enjoy interesting cinema!

Give it a shot and you should be pleasantly surprised. Christine Ebersole is in it too, and I almost didn't recognize her!

Have fun!