The Sweet Life

THE SWEET LIFE is the story of two 'chalk and cheese' brothers. Michael (Lorinz), the self-doubting and self- disparagingly droll magazine editor ("The last woman I dated told me she wasn't ready for a physical relationship. And this was after we'd had sex."), and Frankie (Mobley), his twice divorced, womanising, carousing and gambling cad of an older brother, who is currently dating Lila (Sicuranza), a tattooed, tough and sexy foul-mouthed, arm-wrestling bartender and the kind of woman Frankie feels the 'too nice' Michael could never handle. Michael agrees. "You're right, I'd be afraid that if I entered her body, it might take hostage negotiations to get back out." Introduced to Lila, who, like many women to his chagrin, just assumed he was gay, Michael is set up with Lila's roommate Sherry (a terrific Jett) and after a date which involves a hair-raising trip across town on the back of Sherry's Harley and almost being beaten to a pulp in a biker bar, he ends up handcuffed to the bedposts in Lila and Sherry's apartment with the drunken Sherry unconscious on top of him.

He is eventually rescued by a tearful Lila who tells him that she and Frankie have split up. They spend the night walking and talking. The surprisingly sensitive Lila has a dream of becoming a massage therapist and Michael encourages her to go for it. The relationship develops and Michael pushes her to enrol in a massage therapy school. Soon the two are seeing each other on a more 'serious' level. When Frankie grows suspicious that Michael is sleeping with Lila, like a spoilt kid, he wants his ball back and the story slips into one about sibling rivalry and who actually has Lila's best interests at heart.

It's a bittersweet tale handled well and on the whole solidly performed with its dysfunctional characters well defined and believable. Some of the heart-to-hearts between Lila and Michael fall a little flat and lack spontaneity, but other scenes they share are truly touching, and others painfully funny. Some of the dialogue made me laugh out loud, and Joan Jett, in her intermittent scenes, is fabulous in her romantic comedy debut. The final scenes at the wedding (I won't tell you whose) are literally a riot. The movie moves along at a brisk pace, hardly flagging, and takes full advantage of its authentic locations. Even with my limited knowledge of the city I could tell that Roy and Rocco know their locale and its inhabitants, and how to capture them.

Roy Frumkes' first cameo appearance comes immediately after a scene where Michael is discussing Hitchcock movies, and of course will be cited by Roy from now on as being wholly intentional. Not one to miss out on a free lunch, he also appears as a wedding guest.

THE SWEET LIFE won the Best Romantic Comedy Award at the New York Independent International Film and Video Festival, and was the Official Opening Night Selection at the Back East Picture Show.

Roy and Rocco Simonelli have a long association and you can read both their bios in the Credits section of this site.

THE SWEET LIFE (2002) *** James Lorinz, Barbara Sicuranza, Robert Mobley, Joan Jett. Very funny romantic comedy with 'nice guy' Lorinz (sardonically apt) attempting to find true love in the unlikely form of his ladies' man brother's latest fling (sexy Amazon Sicruanza), a rough-around-the-edges barmaid with a quick tongue and a heart of gold. Hilarious dialogue and frequently amusing moments of pitfalls Lorinz faces on a daily basis and the frustration of Sicuranza wanting something better in her life blends well as does Mobley as the borderline misogynistic elder brother. Jett gives an unforgettably comic turn as Lorinz' blind date from hell that provides his destined relationship with Sicuranza. Screenwriter Rocco Simonelli makes his directorial debut winningly with his sharp slightly skewed valentine to true romance of the flawed. Echoes of Woody Allen, Rob Reiner, Ed Burns and Kevin Smith prove throughout as influences yet the comedy remains solid as it is by itself. A sleeper indie that should be seen by anyone whose lost in love.

WOW! This could quiite possibly be one of the worst pieces of American cinema since Battlefield Earth! Everything imaginable was terrible. The acting (with the exception of the brother) was BAD. The script was BAD and the music was BAD. I almost lost my lunch half-way through this film (and I'd like to think I can stomach a lot.) This was one of the first films I saw this year at the New York Independant Film and Video Festival.----bad, very bad.

I recently saw the leading man of this quirky "Sweet Life" flick in the demented cult classic "Frankenhooker". James Lorinz, he is amazing, a one man riot, a genius. A must see. I laughed I cried, it was better than Cats. (I know, what isn't, but seriously)... First time director Rocco Simonelli moves away from boring romantic cliches in this dark and sometimes uncomfortable comedy. Just when you think you know where it's going, things take unpredictable turns. Joan Jett both scares and excites me. That BJ scene is hot & hysterical. What about the lesbian action though? I mean Lila (Barbara Sicuranza) and Sherry (Joan Jett) lived together, right? I mean, what was going on there? Inquiring minds like to know, and so Mr. Simonelli I anxiously await the pre or sequel..."sweet life 2, the sugar substitute."

You know you have a problem when one of your minor characters (but more famous person) takes up most of the space on your DVD box.

I was wrestling between a few good and a many very poor elements in this picture.

The lead was charming but in a way you've seen a thousand times before. Old jokes. Very tired and old jokes.

Nice guy can't find love. But done in a very stale, direct and familiar way. The crazy ex's vignettes thing has been done before and never works.

Some of these low-budget movies seem to cast the first person who walks through the door. They were not bad actors but not quite good for the roles.

I think I have decided what is the most annoying word that a woman can speak, and it was used a lot in the beginning of this movie: "WOOO!" In conjunction with heavy metal devil horns and my manly parts crawl up into my body (and I'm not a picky man!). (The often-misused word "amazing" is #2.)

What was Joan Jett doing there? I thought she was a Joan Jett lookalike and, to my shock, found out it was HER. Was she actually drunk and wandered into the production? Why would she bother?

I did like the message. Respect people, whoever they are. But it ended up being so clunky and day-old. New York movies seem to insist there is a charm about all these rough-edged people and dirty streets. I don't see it.

All these people seem to be so very tired. Probably 'cause they've been in all those other tired New York movies.