My Own Love Song

This film is about a wheelchair bound singer and a man with psychiatric problems who embark on a road trip to escape from their broken dreams in their hometown.

The initial twenty minutes are alright, portraying the love hate relationship between the two leads. However, once the angels and the fantasy elements set in, the film becomes chaos. What are those pastel birds doing on the streets? What about those images of angels in the sky? Instead of being innovative, it appears self indulgent and confusing. The pacing is so slow, with too many scenes that are made to look artistic but are so boring. The prime example is the scene when they sit under a tree lit in red. The scene is beautiful to look at but quite a torture to sit through.

The ending has the potential to be very emotional. However, it just does not have that effect. The ending has a heartfelt song, but there is inadequate closure. It is not uplifting or touching enough either. "My Own Love Song" could have been emotional and engaging, but it is a greatly misfired attempt.

I guess I saw a whole 'nother movie than the other reviewers, because I simply loved this film. Not that the comments and crits were wrong...sentimental, somewhat disjointed...but I found it moving and amusing and truly enjoyed the soundtrack. The small roles were perfect and the marshmallow whip on top was Zelweiger's riveting rendition of Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land"...unlike any other I'd ever heard...AND she sang my absolute favorite verse (the one about the No Trespassing sign..."but on the other side it didn't say nothing', that side was made for you and me").

It reminded me quite a bit of "Leaving Normal", another fave of mine...

Don't let these nay-sayers put you off this gem.

An ex-singer paraplegic hiding from life (Renée Zellweger) goes on the road with her schizophrenic pal (Forest Whitaker), traveling from Kansas to New Orleans. He wants to meet his favorite author while she needs to sing again and more. Along the way they pick up a woman looking for her lost husband (Madeline Zima). Elias Koteas and Nick Nolte play eccentric characters they meet along the way.

"My Own Love Song" (2010) is a road drama in the mold of "Rain Man" (1988) mixed with elements of "A Love Song for Bobby Long" (2004). It comes across as an artsy Indie, except with a fairly big budget, a notable cast and a writer/director who had drawn Oscar attention in the past, not to mention a soundtrack that features 16 new Bob Dylan songs.

If you favor those other two films you might like this one, although they're superior. There's enough good to make it worth checking out, like Dylan's Folk/blues/rock/gospel/country. But I didn't find the story very compelling. The similar "The Yellow Handkerchief" (2008) had the same budget, but is easily the best of the lot IMHO.

The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and was shot in Kansas and mostly Louisiana.

GRADE: C.

A road trip drama where lost souls are looking for their lost dreams, or as the title suggests, their own love song. The filmmakers used characters who suffer from opposite inflictions to increase the sense of conflict, sympathy, and drama. Jane (Renée Zellweger) is in a wheelchair and Joey (Forest Whitaker) is schizophrenic. Do you feel sorry for them? You should.

It's an awfully long journey to somewhere that we, the characters, nor the filmmakers quite know where it is, and all we have to get us there is two people who learn to become more than they are by each using their own strengths. Sound a little prosaic? Sadly, it is.

Perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects is that "My Own Love Song" is not a truly independent film by new filmmakers trying desperately to break into the industry, nor is it a Hollywood film where they threw in cliché ideas in a desperate attempt to make a dollar. It is by award-winning filmmakers who had access to great actors and original songs by Bob Dylan. Frustrating because it can't be as easily dismissed as one would assume.

The plot summary, the title, the poster and DVD cover art all suggest that it will be boring. I can't fault the marketers, it is boring. And that is its ultimate problem. Zellweger is perfect in the role, the messages are all quite respectful, and the idea that this journey is about dreams not about reality could have made it substantial. But "My Own Love Song" doesn't go anywhere very interesting and it takes too long to get there.

I saw this via Netflix streaming video. Written and edited by the Frenchman who directed the superb "Edith Piaf" story (La Mome') it is set in the USA, filmed in various parts of Louisiana, and ends up in New Orleans.

The story centers on the story of Renée Zellweger as Jane Wyatt, one time recording artist who, 7 years earlier, had become crippled and wheelchair bound as a result of an automobile accident. So she pretty much put her life on hold.

Seemingly her best friend in the small Kansas town is Forest Whitaker as the somewhat kooky Joey, who has visions of angels. He goes off the deep end occasionally, often uses poor judgment in certain situations, but jokingly calls himself "Jane's body guard." He in fact does help her out at times.

One day Joey finds an unopened letter in Jane's house, it is from her now 10-yr-old son, living in Baton Rouge, inviting her to his communion in July. Joey doesn't tell her about the letter, instead puts it in his pocket and sets about to get Jane to take a road trip, he wants her to see her son.

The road trip does have its share of pitfalls, the first being their car burns up. Literally. At a motel along comes Elias Koteas as Dean, who sells them a car for $500, and it works fine, but the next morning they awake to find it gone. Dean has cheated them.

Then comes young Madeline Zima as Billie, whose young husband just seemed to take off, so she joins them in the road trip.

At one stopping point they need a place to crash, hear music, and go to find Nick Nolte as Caldwell, playing a guitar. He joins in for the road trip.

Describing it in my feeble manner in no way does justice to the movie. It is very different, often touching, and very well acted.