Love Potion No. 9 - Der Duft der Liebe

I almost convinced myself that this was a good movie, but after giving it some thought, this is average at best. Things start out well, as the two leads take full advantage of the potion, but then the film bogs down and becomes too formulaic. Much of the second half of the film is hopelessly predictable, and is routine in the extreme. Things remain conventional right to the end, when the obvious conclusion takes place. The leads are both likable, and the there are several funny moments, but the best comedic bits are in the first half. The thoroughly unoriginal second half left a bitter taste in my mouth, and that made it too standard to recommend.

Guilty because I know if I admit how much I like it, I might lose some cred as a film buff. But it's a great fairy tale, Anne Bancroft's brief scenes are funny, and Tate Donovan is a man I can get behind! The scene where the nasty superficial gal crushes his ego at the bar must really hit home with a lot of men. And say what you want about Bullock, but here she shows why she became a huge star with her megawatt smile! But my favorite is Mary Mara, a great character actor given a chance to play a broadly funny, well, broad. If you ask me, Pretty Woman is overrated and this movie is underrated!

Paul (Tate Donovan) is a single, somewhat nerdy, biochemist who strikes out with women at every opportunity. Diane (Sandra Bullock) is a geeky fellow scientist who is not a hit with the guys, either. Hoping to change his luck, Paul goes to a gypsy and acquires a potion that will make him attractive to women. It works quite well. That's when Paul discovers he's in love with Diane. Diane, however, is also making use of the potion and is suddenly surrounded by suitors. Will Paul win the affections of Diane?

This is just a fair entry into the genre of romantic comedies. The two leads are likable but the plot is plodding in parts and detracts from the overall success of the film. Also, the movie has some funny moments but overall does not register high on the laugh-o-meter. The ending is predictable and somewhat satisfying yet just does not elicit great feelings of joy. Fans of Sandra Bullock will probably want to see this early example of her work. Others who are crazy about romantic comedies are likely to want to spend an evening with this film, too.

Sandra Bullock has the type of looks that can go either way, i.e., plain Jane or knockout. She does this very successfully in Love Potion No. 9, a cute film based on the song of the same name. The film sports a cameo by Anne Bancroft.

Bullock and Tate Donovan play scientists who fool around with a love potion (number 8) which Bancroft gives Donovan to try. He doesn't try it; his cat does. After being overrun by horny cats, Donovan and Bullock move on to Bullock's chimps and then themselves.

This all eventually leads to a return visit to Bancroft, this time for love potion number 9 and a very madcap finale.

Entertaining. Bullock is always a delight.

It is sort of a guilty pleasure, but I have to admit, I love this movie. Caveat: a lot of that has to do with the fact that I have a special place in my heart for Sandra Bullock. It seems some people have gone from loving her to trying to not love her. Me, I never got off the "loving her" bus.

With that said, this is a cute movie. Some of the humor is a bit crude, but not so much as to make the film seem moronic. It has a nice message and even though it is a bit dated and silly, I still get that warm, fuzzy, happy feeling when I watch it. There is extensive use of music from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker within the film to amusing effect.