There's No Fish Food in Heaven

The story is not predictable, every time I thought they were going to resort to a cliche, the film zips off in another direction. Although neither the acting or plot are brilliant, it has does have a few laughs, and it held my interest until the very end. In that respect, it is much better than most of the "commercial" films I have seen lately. Well worth a rental.

Obviously the film is supposed to be a whimsical romantic comedy - with a dark edge to it. Unfortunately, it has some basic flaws. The plot moves along at a fairly slow pace. The main characters are not that interesting. It doesn't really rise above the level of "offbeat" or "quirky". The "story arc" is predictable after awhile. And, most importantly, It just wasn't that romantic, funny, or original.

I rented it (under the title, "Life in the Fast Lane") mainly because Fairuza Balk is in it. I wish she had a better story and script to work with. The film is mediocre at best.

Noah was very good in this also. He brings new life to whatever role he's given, and although he usually plays the melancholy dramatic lover or boy next door, he enjoys playing some more lighthearted comedic roles. I think he's fantastic in this, and was interested that he also joined up with Fairuza in Almost Famous. I adore him in this role, even though this movie sometimes left a little to be desired here. A little off the edge or over the top, it's got some good qualities to it, and some good lines. Some of the plot is unrealistic, and a little sad--just a bit dark. But as a Noah Taylor fan, I definitely enjoyed it.

I don't like movies where the girl leaves the guy who doesn't do anything wrong within the relationship. That is just because I am insecure. Aside from that this is a pretty good movie. It is surreal at times, but doesn't go to far and become pretentious art schlock. If you are looking for something weird and fun, think about this one.

Mona (Fairuza Balk) is a young artist who lives with her pregnant cousin (Debi Mazar), works at a pet store (run by Téa Leoni) and she's recently realized that sweet boyfriend Jeff (Noah Taylor) feels more like a brother than a lover. The lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur when Mona encounters a sexy stranger (Patrick Dempsey) who may be the devil himself - and her lust for this man directly results in Jeff's death. So what's worse than accidentally murdering your boyfriend? Being the only one who can see his ghost.

I can't help but wonder what all of the people who wrote bad reviews expected to see. This is one of those movies like "My Boyfriend's Back" or a John Waters opus where the characters don't function in a normal semblance of reality - they're all one-note and their actions/reactions are often absurd. And on top of that, it's low-budget fantasy, so some of the FX (as well as Debi Mazar's wig) are somewhat lacking... but that sorta adds to the fun.

The story juts along at its own pace and in its own direction, and I can't say that I ever anticipated what was coming next - though the ending was a little cliché (not that I could think of a more suitable one). Balk is likable as always as the leading lady and Taylor is charming as her dead weight. Dempsey was well-cast but he only appears in a few scenes and doesn't utter a single syllable. And renowned scene-stealer Jeffrey Jones also deserves mention for his supporting role as a minister. Unfortunately, Leoni plays it pretty broad and Mazar was uncharacteristically restrained (actually it feels like they should've switched parts).

"Life in the Fast Lane" was cute, it held my interest throughout and made me chuckle quite a few times. I couldn't really ask for more from such a dopey little comedy... except for maybe a better title ("There's No Fish Food in Heaven" wasn't much better, but at least it made sense for the film).