Coisas do Amor

"Never Again" tells of a single middle aged man (Tambor) and woman (Clayburgh) who find each other, have good sex, and then begin to wrestle with issues as they search warily for deeper meaning. The film jerks from the outlandish to the sublime and back again making for an unpredictably bumpy ride while conjuring moments of hilarity and warmth. "Never Again" is another Schaeffer love it or hate it flick which is the work of a creative genius or sexually obsessed hack depending on who you talk to. Given its middle aged focus and explicit sexual content, "Never Again" will play best with more mature audiences who can handle vulgar language, absurd comic relief, and still appreciate the sentimental and poignant moments without rationalization. (B)

This movie was a light mix of drama and comedy... what more could you want. There were scenes in the movie that my side hurt from laughing so hard! It's a silly romantic comedy and if you like those I would recommend it.

In New York, Grace (Jill Clayburgh) and Christopher (Jeffrey Tambor) are two lonely souls of fifty and something years old. Jill has not had sex for seven years, and the straight Christopher is very insecure with his masculinity. Both of them have made a promise in the past that they would never fall in love again. When they meet each other, they have a very complicated affair and of course in the end they fall in love for each other. This irregular low budget movie explores an important theme completely disregarded by Hollywood: sex after fifty years old. The story looks like a "Sex and the City" of middle-aged women and has many good jokes and situations. The problem is the trailer released by the distributor. I saw it a couple of days ago, and it shows the best parts of the story, spoiling the funny situations. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Coisas do Amor" ("Things About Love")

Eric Schaeffer's film was a detour from all the thrillers that opened in the summertime. This "small" picture proves that with the right ingredients, an enjoyable movie could be made.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the great Jill Clayburgh return to film, after being away for a while, in a starring role. She makes this woman believable and it's a pleasure to watch her fall in love with a man who is real and not a stereotype. Jeffrey Tambor, is right up to the challenge to make this man the object of Ms Clayburgh's affections.

This is a very "NewYorkish" type of film. We have known people like the girlfriends that push Ms. Clayburgh to take a chance in dating. Also, Jeffrey Tambor's world is easy to believe. He's the ugly duckling who has a lot to offer underneath his plain facade.

Life in this film seems to begin late in the life of the main characters. It was a joy to have seen this movie.

Eric Schaeffer's latest film is remarkably funny. It puts two people in a slightly extraordinary predicament and handles them as real people. Christopher and Grace have both been hurt in relationdhips, are both 54, and neither wants to risk falling in love again. Hence the title. The odd parts come in when each tries to at least find something new, even if it is just sex. It should be noted, this film, while dealing heavily with sex, never becomes even arguably pronagraphic. The dialogue is so wonderfully intelligent and (need I say again) funny that I found myself quoting lines throughout the trip home! If you are lucky enough to have this play in your area, I completely advise you to see it. I found myself laughing and cheering for characters as well as sighing and sobbing for them. The film's outrageous comedy is great, but the touching moments are so realistic that they also deserve a mention.