When Love Comes

"When Love Comes" is, like many of the recent NZ films, is a "relationship" drama. The plot is slight, but not weak. Don't expect too much to happen- this is a film driven by characters, not by plot, and unlike "Saving Grace", does a good job of it. Obviously, a film like this will live and die on its cast, and thankfully "When Love Comes" boasts a strong ensemble. Rena Owen is good as washed-out torch singer Katie Keane, but Simon Prast shines as "Stephen". His performance is wonderfully understated (to those of us who remember him hamming it up in "Gloss"), and yet powerful at the same time. The weak links are Dean O'Gorman, who is quite good but isn't able to carry the film, and Simon Westaway, whose character Eddie is woefully underwritten- I'm not sure the poor guy knew quite what to do with the part.

"When Love Comes" puts a slightly different spin on the old "young guy wrestles with his homosexuality" to the degree that straight audiences will enjoy it too. However, I think the heterosexual relationship between Katie and Eddie is the least convincing, (possibly because of the problem with Eddie's character) and certainly lacks the conviction of the Mark/Stephen, Fig/Sally, and Stephen/Katie plotlines.

Otherwise, enjoyable.

For those who are tired of the Hollywood "formula movies" which are filled with mindless dialogue and whose backbone is held up by special effects alone, this is the movie to see. You will not find much of a plot in "When Love Comes Along", but with characters like these who needs one?!. I have never seen a more refreshingly honest array of characters with which to experience so many of life's most influential moments... I loved it.

I love this movie for its quality of style, for the way it portrays its characters and the fact that it does not try to shove its message down your throat. Perhaps that is why it is so underrated... It actually lets you think. It allows you to participate in the characters' lives and make your own decision about them. Not a good thing in an age of appointment books and personal assistants.

If you like to think for your-self I am sure you will like this one.

While I'm generally at all in favor of any film that could be considered artistic, I genuinely enjoyed this one. All of the cast (okay, Eddie didn't grab me... but he also didn't really *do* or *say* anything) was brilliant. The dialogue was fun, the acting was top-notch. Even when the story faltered (and it did drag a couple of times), I feel that the people involved more than made up for it. The only actor I knew going into the piece was Dean O'Gorman, and I was pleased and impressed with his performance. Definitely nice to see him doing something serious (my first exposure being from Young Hercules). I highly recommend the film to anybody in the mood for something a bit unusual and a little slower-paced.

Stephen (Simon Prast) is a New Zealand gay man pushing 30 (from the wrong side) who has loved and lost in his life. He apparently has some modest financial success but not a lot of fulfillment.

Katie (Rena Owen) is a singer who had several number one songs in the 70's but who is now past her peak. She has accepted a large advance for a new TV pilot (thanks to the efforts of her married lover) but has no inspiration, no ideas and no energy to go on.

Katie and Stephen have been best friends for decades. Together they are both world weary but still hopeful and exhibit the kind of camaraderie that a decades long friendship allows.

When Katie returns from L.A. at the movie's beginning, Stephen has his own problems. He has fallen in love with Mark, (Dean O'Gorman) a former rent boy, who is unable to return his affection. Mark is totally unconvinced of any self worth and can't believe or accept that Stephen is in love with him.

Mark's also involved with Fig and Sally,( Nancy Brunning and Sophia Hawthorne) two girls in a band for which he writes the lyrics. While Fig has eyes only for Sally, Sally enjoys sleeping with men, including Mark. Whether or not Mark has problems with his gayness I'll leave to your judgment, to me his problems seemed more basic than that.

Getting to know these characters as they get to know themselves and as they work through their immediate problems is what makes this a great indie film. If you prefer action-packed movies with loads of special effects, go see something else. This is a small but significant film with honest characters who have personalities. It's also refreshing that the gay characters are accepted as people and aren't `marked for Death/Tragedy' as in so many movies.

There's been a spate of relationship based films out of New Zealand over the last few years; unfortunately, this is not one of the better ones. The narrative seems to have no real drive or spark to it - a fading 70's singer (Rena Owen) returns to New Zealand after a small-time singer career in America, hooks up with an old friend (the dreaded Simon Prast), who happens to be in a relationship with an angsty, drunken, awful young man (Dean O'Gorman), who writes lyrics for Hawthorne's and Brunning's band. But big deal! Much of the acting in this film is pretty terrible, too (with the exception of Nancy Brunning - good as usual, and Sophia Hawthorne, who is plenty fun, gorgeous and energetic). Rena Owen is pretty average, which is something I've never seen before. But in all, the characters are pretty hard-to-believe, and there is the usual dose of corn and cheese which has become a bit too common in NZ cinema. And Prast's performance is DREADFUL!

I went to see this film with my partner - she disliked it a whole lot more than what I did, and used words like '...waste of money...could have given it to some other filmmaker...'. All of which, I think, is pretty fair.