Ted & Venus

I recently watched Ted & Venus (1991) on Tubi. The story follows Ted, an aspiring poet, who is searching for a new place to live. During this process, he dreams of meeting a beautiful woman who will fall in love with him, leading to a happily ever after. When he encounters the woman of his dreams at an apartment leasing office, he believes it's destiny. However, she might not feel the same way...

This film is directed by and stars Bud Cort (Harold and Maude), and features a strong supporting cast, including James Brolin (Traffic), Carol Kane (Scrooged), Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers) and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and Rhea Perlman (Cheers).

This movie had the potential to be much better than it turned out. The cast is absolutely stellar, which makes you wonder how a low-budget film managed to assemble such a high-caliber lineup. Unfortunately, the storyline is awkward and often uncomfortable, especially given the main character's relentless persistence. While the film attempts to blend comedy into this unsettling premise, the result is more frustrating than entertaining. There are some humorous moments, particularly in the poems, and a memorable chainsaw sequence, but these highlights are few and far between. I did appreciate how the film ultimately ended, but the journey to get there was disappointing, leaving me wishing it had been more like The King of Comedy.

In conclusion, Ted & Venus has the ingredients to be a solid film but fails to put them together effectively. I would score this a 4/10 and recommend skipping it.

Make no mistake, "Ted & Venus" is not an easy watch. It is however daring in a way most films fail. Obviously willing to take chances with questionable themes like stalking, obsession, and madness, the movie treads ground that many audiences will not appreciate. If however, you are entertained by the likes of "Where's Poppa?", "Eating Raoul", and of course "Harold and Maude", then you will revel in some of the the dark comedy here. There is a courtroom scene that is especially funny, and there are sporadic situations and dialog that are excellent. It's just that the whole movie feels uneven and this choppiness may be due to a difficult edit? Bud Cort should have realized that beauty is only a light switch away. - MERK

Ted and Venus is a one-of-a-kind movie, but not recommended for mainstream film-lovers, due to its excessive black humor and satiric look at stalking and sexual harassment- a subject that can offend many. On the other hand, Bud Cort's masterful demonstration of the comedic side of such a sticky topic can shed light on a new way in which to view predators and obsession, even for those who have experienced what the main character, Lisa, did. Cort mentioned in a Pacific Radio Interview and a Victoria Looseleaf Interview that he has met/known women who, after having been stalked and viewed "Ted and Venus," were amazed to find themselves seeing the humor in such a situation. The latter is proof of this film's uncanny ability to capture the attention of, and delight the viewer.

Besides the amazing star-studded cast, Cort is the hi-light of the movie. Having co-written, directed, and starred in it, he delivers one of the best performances of his career. He adds an empathetic, almost gentle element to Ted. A part of us wants to sympathize with him because he is sensitive, vulnerable, and at times innocent. It is easily forgettable that he is the antagonist, and deranged. For a first-time director/writer, the script is excellent, and the film is well-paced, convincing, and enjoyable.

Ted and Venus is a miniature masterpiece, deserving much more recognition.

What I love about is film, is that the amazing actor Bud Cort created it all by himself. He directed and wrote it, starred in it and I wish he would've done more projects as a Director. This may not be a movie for everyone's taste, but I think it is indeed, an artwork! I really enjoyed how the Venice Beach scene is captured and also the 70s decade. And I actually love the whole focus on poetry in this film. I think the character "Ted", that Bud created is a very interesting one. I think it's a a very desperate and tragic character. Although, the movie has quite a few funny elements. And also the lovely Carole Kane is in there. I think it's visually also a very aesthetic movie. And the soundtrack is amazing.✨

TD says that it was "painful" to watch `Ted and Venus'. That's just what Bud Cort meant to do with this film, as I see it. I own the film and have viewed it many times, and what I like about it is that Bud was very brave to bring what is basically a sad and creepy story, based on a true sad and creepy story of a poet who became manically obsessed with a social worker. It's not a pretty story about `perfect' people; it's not supposed to be. Each character in this film has flaws, though not as serious as Ted Whitley's. That, to me, is more real than a lot of films that I have seen come out of Hollywood recently-be they independent, or mainstream-made. I hope that he gets the chance to direct again.

I liked that Bud took the true story this film was based on and went one step further, and instead of the `happy' ending of the girl moving away and changing her name, and the poet's getting some much needed therapy and moving on with his life, you get a possible, if not probable, extreme ending: something that could happen if such a man as Ted crossed the line with such an obsession as his. It's basically a tale of sexual harassment, and what can happen to someone who refuses to take someone's `no' for an answer.

What I also like about it, as well, is that it's one of the few films that I have seen, which, even for it's subject matter, shows that there can be humor in such a situation. The `courtship' scenes with Kim Adams are quite funny, as are Bud's scenes with James Brolin, Carol Kane and Martin Mull, all giving fine performances.

Bud once had a friend that went through a similar experience, and after much coaxing to see it, told him, upon finally seeing the film, that there were moments she recalled which were very surreal, even comic at times! She told him that the film was a very cathartic experience for her. As in real life, there are moments that happen to us all which are comic, even though we may more often see them that way in hindsight, rather than while we are actually experiencing it.

Even though there are comic moments, the mistake that most people make about "Ted and Venus" is that just because it's a Bud Cort film, it's not supposed have any drama in it.

I say, `Bravo, Bud'!!