Un amore speciale

Garry Marshall has directed an affecting tale of romance between two mentally challenged adults. Although it does push all the buttons of sentiment and humor, the wonderful performances of Juliet Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi as the naive couple can't help but have the audience right where they want you. Garry Marshall, at a pre-opening screening, related that Ribisi remained in character at all times during the filming. However, Lewis turned her characterization on and off with action and cut as each scene was filmed. The tale is somewhat reminiscent of Marshall's "Pretty Woman", in that you can almost predict the finale. But that doesn't matter. If these two don't put a lump in your throat, you must be made of stone. See it because it will make you feel good. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

This movie was excellent. The family was well portrayed; from the beginning with the father not wanting to admit his daughter had a disability, to the mother dealing with the guilt of putting her daughter away by trying to make up for it almost a decade later.

Excellent cast (Lewis, Ribisi, Keaton, Skerritt, etc.) and I loved how the disabled characters were believable. Sometimes movies depicting the disabled are no more than an insult. Lewis and Ribisi were incredibly believable in their roles, actually I had never seen Ribisi in a role previous to this one and - I have to be honest - I really did not think he was 'acting'. I thought the casting director had found someone disabled to fill the role. Once I found out the truth, I thought Ribisi should have been nominated for an Oscar!

For the person who complained about the other story lines going on in the movie; a movie has to be multi-faceted, otherwise it can become boring. And I don't think the other story lines were too indulgent, they added flavor.

And a mother that has a child whom she believes she has failed in the past yes, she will be a basket case and indecisive with every step she takes. That's what mothers do...it's the norm.

Another great movie that was obviously overlooked by Hollywood. (So what else is new?)

I thought this was a very beautiful and touching film... I can't remember the last time a movie stirred up so many emotions in me all at the same time as this one did. And you know what? I really couldn't care less if this movie portrayed these type of people the "right" way or not (this *is* a fictional piece of work after all) because I saw the ideology behind the movie instead of just the movie itself.

What I took away with me from this film is that you shouldn't care about what anyone thinks about you, not your mom or your dad or your friends and relatives either, that you should just try and live for the things that you love and enjoy. The way that these two questioned almost everything that was happening to them and listened to their feelings more than their minds made me feel a lot better about the way I think and the way I feel. I love how they aren't burdened by the way they are, they just simply accept it, and I find that beautiful, absolutely uplifting! I've never seen a movie that made me laugh and cry at the same time as many times as this masterpiece did. "Don't be afraid to feel" would be the perfect tagline for this underrated film. Solid story, solid actors.

My favourite line of the whole movie? When Carla tells her mom "We can take care of each other!" Talk about tears! I'm definitely going to try to find this movie and buy it the next time I'm out and about.

By the way, in case you were curious, this was just written by a 24 year old straight male. (I'm not afraid of showing my "feminine side", whatever that means.)

Grade: A+

I am not a big movie crybaby kind of person, but this movie really had me going! Not that it was sad, but poignant. I was fully captivated by the complex characters. No one was "good" or "bad," they were all just trying to find their ways through their lives the best they could. It was hard to know how they would react in each situation because they were more true-to-life than we are used to. I haven't been this emotionally involved in a movie for a long time.

In this film, about a frustrated mother trying to cope with a mentally disabled daughter, there is a message for all of us - that we all need our independence and wish to fulfil our desires for happiness in our own way. Diane Keaton plays the role of Elizabeth the over protective mother in a most convincing performance - she shows all the desperation, the moods and emotions of a mother hoping to do the best for her child and suffering arguments and rebuffs at every turn. While Carla (Juliette Lewis)and her lover Daniel (Giovanni Ribisi) both disabled hold us in a state of nervous fascination,it is Diane Keaton who holds the storyline together. This is not a depressing film. On the contrary there are moments of humorous sexual exploration, numerous embarrassing situations and outright hilarity. A few of the scenes which I find particularly amusing are: The sweet innocence of the young couple reading a sex manual and earmarking the pages of appropriate positions, the initial introduction of Daniel in fancy dress as a large dog to Carla's parents and the church wedding in which church dogma is dispensed with and the couple "do it in their own way. The film is quite touching at times and some tears may appear, but in retrospect it is the joyous ending that seems to make everything right. And doesn't Diane Keaton look absolutely stunning in her magenta outfit with the big hat?