Festin d'amour

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Robert Benton has only made 11 movies in 35 years. What is consistent with each of his films is the way he peels back the layers of humanity. He really explores the different personalities in people. Think of the Hoffman/Streep split in "Kramer vs. Kramer" and you will see the similarities with the break-up here of Greg Kinnear and Selma Blair. The number of intimate moments and personal insecurities are too many to count ... just like real life.

Rarely do you see one partner slap the other in the midst of an affair when the one slapping is trying to lecture the soon-to-be-married other one that her morals need to be straightened out before she weds. In other words ... do as I say, not as I do. Another good story line involved two young broken people who try to accept that life and love can be good. Played well by Toby Hemingway and a stunning Alexa Davalos, the two lovers have overcome much in their lives and certainly appreciate the bond they have.

The best story line in the film is the magic of Morgan Freeman and Jane Alexander, playing the oldest interracial couple I can remember seeing on film. They are both hurting deeply from the loss of a son, yet the strength of their relationship allows them to deal with grief in separate ways, while still being there for each other. Two excellent performances.

The center of the film is the lovable, clueless, hopeless-romantic played by underrated actor Greg Kinnear. We see two relationships (Selma Blair and Radha Mitchell) end badly for him, yet he clings to his belief that LOVE is what it's all about.

I like how the only kids involved in this real world mess are old enough to make their own decisions. It would have been easy to toss in a kid or two to tug even harder at the tear ducts, but this remained an adult story for adults ... and there are far too few of these. Be forewarned , this is no light-hearted chick flick. It could be termed a romantic drama but more accurately a human drama.

I happen to watch the movie lately .. and loved it. Yes .. its a bit predictable , but is a very simply put pleasant movie. I would rate it 10 for a DVD rent. Worth spending 2 hours at home , with your loved ones. Morgan Freeman is definitely the high point. Its funny, tense, sad ,complex and is definitely about LOVE. The acting is superb and subtle. Alexa Davalos looks really beautiful in this movie (i had seen her in defiance earlier). I could not much weak links in the entire movie .. yes there are a few nude scenes (slightly explicit) , but they don't stand out since they form an integral part of the story. One of the few movies which i did not want to end.

Shrewd marketing meant that Feast of Love's release here was to coincide with the extremely commercial Valentine's Day celebrations, but sometimes I wonder the value of such a move, because do you really want to spend that day dedicated to declarations of undying love, in a darkened cinema hall, involved in what is essentially a solitary activity, at least until the lights come on.

But to those who decide to do so, Feast of Love lives up to its namesake. Based on the novel by Charles Baxter, almost every conceivable notion of the modern relationship gets worked into the entire story. And it helps too with an ensemble cast filled with beautiful leads, from young upstarts to wisely veterans. As with most movies with a huge cast, everyone's connected to one another through the inevitable six degrees of separation, naturally for convenience, but in this aspect, it played to the early monologue and we take on the role of the Greek Gods, who introduced the notion of love and see how each of our human creations scuttle around trying to make sense of it, and through their individual journeys, succeed or fail, laugh or cry, get spurned on to heights unimaginable, or get thrown into the depths of heartbroken despair.

Morgan Freeman can almost sleepwalk through any wise, sagely character roles. After all, he's played the most powerful man on Earth before, and even God himself, twice. Here, he's Harry Stevenson, a university lecturer on a leave of absence who together with his wife Esther Stevenson (Jane Alexander), are grieving the lost of their only son. His best friend is a coffee joint owner Bradley Thomas (Greg Kinnear), who is just about the most unlucky bloke when it comes to affairs of the heart, with his female engagements being Selma Blair, Radha Mitchell and Erika Marozsan, who enter at different points of his life. Then there's Bradley's employee Oscar the baristas, whom we follow in a tale of young, passionate love at first sight with Chloe (Alexa Davalos).

As I mentioned earlier, every conceivable aspect of love get played on the big screen. You have the young love at first sight, the tried and tested bonds between the elderly who fear about impending departure from one another through death, you have ugly divorces, and worse, if it's for a member of the same sex, you have adultery and the exploration what makes it worse - knowing that you're cheating on your spouse, or cheating on a potential spouse because you've led them to believe that you're in exclusivity, and of course, parental love and guidance given towards a child.

Come to think of it, there're quite a number of negative emotions that get played through the movie, but ultimately, it's still provides a positive effect through the lessons learnt from succinct encounters that the characters go through. Such as whether you'll find the courage to go through hardship and difficulties with the other half, knowing the consequence of it all, finding little happiness and blessings in your daily life despite setbacks that take a stab through your heart, and what I thought was a very, very apt reminder and an important lesson to be learnt, is to always open your eyes and not be blindsided by love just because of the endorphins that course through your entire body make it seem that you can tolerate shortcomings for the longer term.

It's a reminder that in relationships, one has to be first honest with oneself, before seeking out that somebody else. Ditch those baggage, and fear not to break away amicably should you realize that things aren't working out right. Never give up hope, and to keep to your vows should you already have made them. Love is in the air, but pragmatism should sometimes prevail or be considered in tandem.

A movie that manages to be genuine while making you laugh and cry at the fates of the characters in it. I usually go for romantic comedies rather than drama, but this mix of drama, romance and comedy really did it for me. It did not go overboard in trying to make the viewers cry, like so many dramas tend to do and it managed to mix sad comedy with funny comedy - the way they mix in real life as well.

Morgan Freeman is the veritable pillar that holds the whole thing together. One of his better roles (as opposed to many movies that he's been hired to be "the grave guy") and reflects the wisdom of old age very well.

My wife an I saw this a few days ago, a late show on a Friday which we thought might be crowded. But, only two other people were in the theater. That does not bode well for the box office for this film. We both enjoyed it. Once again Morgan Freemen does a great job as the wise old man knowing just what to say and do. He always is a joy to watch. The story is a indeed a feast of love, with multiple types of love unfolding among all the characters. The character of Diana (Radha Mitchell) is particularly well done if not very sympathetic. And Greg Kinnear plays his likable "I'm just a dupe of love" character equally well. A well done movie on relationships and their complexity, but without the non-stop action young fans want in films this will likely only get a niche audience in theaters with most folks waiting for the DVD or cable to check this one out.