Goodbye Lover

"Goodbye Lover" is the remedy for a person in need of sizzling, film noir mystery or laugh-out-loud comedy. Patricia Arquette and Ellen DeGeneres carry the film and both seem right at place as their characters. Arquette plays Sandra Dunmore, Don Johnson is Ben, her husband's brother. Dermot Mulroney is Jake Dunmore, Sandra's husband. A plan is being woven and you don't always know by who, as insurance money is what everyone wants. I won't give anything away, even though twists aren't the only thing this film has going for it. Like I said, I spent half the time laughing hysterically. Ellen DeGeneres is Rita Pompano, a lazy detective who hates the human race and is only in the force because "Every once in a while I get to shoot somebody." The film's script is smooth and well written, full of the right dose of thrills and laughs. Despite what many may say about this film, it is the perfect example of what film noir is all about. Not just mystery, not just comedy, but a little bit of both. A fantastic film.

Goodbye Lover is a thriller-comedy that keeps you watching although it's obvious the movie doesn't take itself too serious. Patricia Arquette is married to Dermot Mulroney and she has a lover, Don Johnson. She convinces John to kill her husband, but there's one problem: her husband is his brother.

The film is very predictable, with only 2-3 exceptions. All the murders come along absoultely normal and if you add a totally annoying sick-of-life cop, Ellen de Generes, and her help, a incredibly stupid guy from Salt Lake, you get as a result a not-so-great film. One thing saved the whole movie: the ending. Pretty original and not expected.

A good watch, if you're in the mood for a simple thriller. Good performances from the actors. Vote: 5 out of 10.

A Goodbye can also be a Hello - not necessarily for the same person - actually quite likely not for the same person. But a Hello nonetheless. And while this dark humor filled thriller might entice and surprise you (I was, especially after the first big inciting incident, not having read anything about this) - it might run out of air after a while. I would beg to differ overall, but I can see that especially after that big shock (which some might already be aware of anyway, having read upon the movie) there seems to be a bit of downfall. And as much as I fell in love with certain characters, the ending seems a bit ... too easy. All that aside, the actors do a phenomenal job and the movie keeps the tension high throughout. And since it does have a tendancy to show you what might happen (or what some characters think should happen next), it keeps you on your toes to find out, if its true or just in the mind of the character. Very well done thriller, with a lot of "foreplay" and other erotic sidenotes, that you'll either fall for or you won't.

Shady married couple conspire to knock-off the husband's rich brother, but when the wife finds out her husband is in cahoots with the brother's spouse, she does some conspiring of her own. Over-plotted mystery-comedy-drama sat a long while on the shelf. Highly mediocre picture does have a great character for Patricia Arquette to play, but it still isn't funny enough nor convincing enough to make much of an impression. Though directed by the esteemed Roland Jaffe, this is just a cartoonish doodle that only served to give several under-used actors (Don Johnson, Ellen DeGeneres, Dermot Mulroney, Mary Louise Parker) a chance to be "colorful". End result is exhausting and tedious. ** from ****

You can't please everyone. If you have a story that's easy to follow people will say its boring and predictable. If you have a richly complex story, people will say its labyrinthine and confusing. The trick is to have something in the middle, and that is what Goodbye Lover gives us.

The central thread is simple. The complications happen on the periphery. You can't watch this movie with one eye closed. You have to pay attention! How can you have a mystery when you already know whodonnit? Ah, that is the question. Are you up to the challenge?

This is a comedy. Comedies have license to be wacky and over-the-top. Patricia Arquette and Ellen DeGeneres give standout performances. I love this movie. Its very entertaining, very clever, very funny, fast paced, never boring. Isn't that what a comedy should be?