Love, Ludlow

This Official Sundance Film Festival Selected film was screened in Novemeber and i must say i really enjoyed it.

It is a story about a girl(Myra) who lives with her "shut in" brother(Ludlow) amazingly acted by Brendan Sexton. She gets a "boyfriend" and decides to bring him home. Ludlow is very jealous by this and throws a fit, everything goes to hell from there. Ludlow is about 19? 20? Age was never specified but he is a totally grown up man who acts like a 5 year old.

This film is a romantic comedy with just the right touch of drama, i.e (cemetery scene).

I strongly recommend this film to anyone who loves the little independent films or just great movies in general.

It appears I am the among the persons providing a less than stellar review for LOVE, LUDLOW. I'm trying hard to figure out how LL received so many "9"s and "10"s and am trying even harder to figure out how those folks make room for CITIZEN KANE, THE KING'S SPEECH, or other highbrow stuff.

LL is enjoyable if you've truly got time to kill; i.e., as opposed to having limited time for entertainment due to kids, job, etc! The dialog is particularly funny and the two love-interested characters' scenes are especially good. Alicia Gorenson plays it just right; i.e., just a wee bit over the top, which fits in perfectly with the shooting and pacing of the film as well as the score, background music. In light of the setting and somewhat zany characters, I was reminded of HENRY FOOL.

But the set-up, conflict, etc. is not particularly new and the sister's obligation toward her brother is not fully explained nor convincing. Ludlow himself is not given enough background, is not particularly funny, and generates little sympathy or concern. Indeed, brother Ludlow more or less functions as the obstacle forming the conflict between the romance driving the film.

I like to relax, kickback and watch a comedy. Therefor I kept waiting and waiting for the comedy to start. In the end my wait was over, the fun hadn't come. A comedy? questionable. It looks more like an independent movie which leans more toward the genre known as drama.

In 'Love, Ludlow' the life of a woman living and having to take care of her retarded(?) brother is being portrayed. The ups, the downs and how one would have to deal with it; how it affects aspects of life. She's trying to date a guy, pretty sensitive and scared, but in order to start a working relationship both have to overcome and accept the obstacle known as Ludlow (her brother). Very good, very nice imagery, not a good comedy. But definitely a good movie. As a drama (or what I think of as drama) I'd give it an eight point five, as a comedy I'd give it a two, not much fun. After a compromise with myself I gave it a seven.

I walked into Love, Ludlow, on a whim at Sundance 2005 on Thursday evening, having heard nothing about the picture. I was much more than pleasantly surprised. The performances are excellent--first rate mature acting to create a world of adults who in many ways are like children, and total immersion and commitment to the whimsical "Queens, NY" depicted in the movie. The ambiguity of Ludlow's exact affliction adds texture to the piece and facilitates a deeper emotional connection to the material, and the jokes are just plain funny. I also was impressed at how skillfully and fluidly the film moved from comedy to drama, from situational humor to pathos. The audience laughed repeatedly throughout the show, and for all my skepticism I walked out with a smile on my face, and I was not alone. This is a fun, well-made, commercial, jauntily independent film I hope will get released soon.

I will start off by saying that this film was amazing. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me feel "warm and fuzzy inside." Movies like this do not come around very often.

"Love, Ludlow" is about a woman, Myra, from Queens and her "relationship" with a sweet mid-western man from her work, Reggie, and how she has to deal with her troubled brother, Ludlow.

This film never once had a moment when I wondered about a character's motivation, or if something was truly necessary.

Simply put, this is a beautiful, touching film that will stick with you for a very long time.