Dorfman

I fully agree with Salsa Boy from San Francisco. I saw this movie last night through the D.C. Jewish Film Festival. Elliott Gould did the best he could with a script that was one-dimensional at best, and, at worst, rehashed the worst sort of Borscht Belt stereotypes (to wit, "We Jews don't paint, we HIRE painters..."). Through most of the movie, I felt like I was watching cartoon characters (awkward girl with low self-esteem; brother who's an insensitive jerk; father who's super kvetchy), though it did get stronger toward the end. The theme--self-discovery and transformation--was a worthy one, but handled clumsily and in eminently disbelievable ways. Both the writer (Wendy Kout) and the great Gould himself spoke and fielded audience questions. I made the mistake of asking Ms. Kout why the characters seemed at times like caricatures, and I was stunned by her response, which I'll quote in its entirety: "You are SO welcome to your opinion." This movie is redeemed a bit by Gould's vulnerability and charm, but his talent is largely squandered in a script penned by a Hollywood hack.

As a love letter to modern L.A. it does a great job, though with less nuance than, say, L.A. Story. Sara Rue is likable in the eponymous role, and she grows quite a lot in the film though rather more quickly than is credible and in a fairly predictable way. Her take on the "I have no filter" character is convincing, but the character itself is a little hackneyed. Her costar Haz Sleiman (Cookie) is very very good. The secondary characters are mainly OK though generally not believable as humans.

Unfortunately, Elliott Gould -- one of my very favorite actors - gives what has to be the worst performance of his career. His dialogue is full of clichés about old Jewish men of at least half-a-generation above him, the lines coming out of his mouth do not fit him at all, and he is obviously aware of this as he delivers them. As he has by far the strongest presence of any actor in the movie he dominates every scene in which he appears, and the movie suffers as a result.

From the description this could have just been simple Hallmark fare, but it has more to offer than that. It is worth watching if you're looking for an uncomplicated, reasonably funny urban romance, and willing to overlook the main plot line and some of the worst dialogue excesses while keeping an eye out for the great visuals and some of the genuinely funny interactions between Rue and minor characters like Bubba Ganter, Sonya Eddy and the wonderful Tonita Castro.

I found this movie to be very charming. Yes, the script has a bit of a textbook rom-com format. But the performances from the cast elevate the film. Sara Rue and Haaz Sleiman light up the screen when present. I loved seeing Elliott Gould here as well. And Catherine Hicks can do no wrong. The cast is impressive. For whatever reason, I found myself swept up in the story and performances. If you love a good rom-com, you should definitely check out Dorfman in Love.

So overall I thought it was pretty good- there were a few spots I could have done without (unnecessary bondage, reference to porn etc), but thought the overall the characters did pretty good, were like able (or purposefully unlikeable), good chemistry between too main characters, and good scenery. Other then the bondage, it wasn't too objectionable although I really wanted to smack the brother (although pretty sure that was the point.) Not bad for light hearted, (mostly) feel good movie.

When Deb Dorfman (Sara Rue) house sits for a friend, her life changes forever. Her dad (Elliot Gould) has tried setting her up, but it doesn't seem to ever work out. Her married brother is a mess, and drags her into it. And now she has to house sit for a friend's cat. And it hates her. Will Deb ever get her own life figured out? Maybe she and her new next door neighbor can help each other. It's fun. Kind of feels like this was someone's own life story. Directed by Brad Leong, who has directed four films to date.... two of those were short films. Story by Wendy Kout,who was also a writer on mork and mindy in the 1980s. That's awesome! Blast from the past.