Hard Luck Love Song

Pool hustler Jesse (Michael Dorman) moves into a low-rent motel in a rough neighborhood. It's a dangerous living. He spots an escort ad in the papers and recognizes something. It's Carla (Sophia Bush) from his past.

It's a grim life. Dorman could be more downtrodden. He smiles a little too much. I do like the first act with its atmospheric danger. The movie takes a slight tonal turn with the introduction of Carla. It may work better if she joins the film sooner and she could go with him on his pool games. Then there is the cop. I can understand the attempt at a different kind of cop character. He's just in the wrong movie. He's slapstick comedy when the movie is a grim dive into the underworld. On the positive side, he's only in two small sections and one can ignore him. All in all, this is a nice vision of a grim life.

As a movie, this is very average, but I thought the music was great, which gave it another star. The story and acting are so-so. A lot of very highly scored reviews from members of the production team, it's rating will plummet.

A gritty, slow-burn tale about the dark underbelly of everytown USA, this film tells the stories of characters who chose not to throw their fishing lines into the mainstream. Compelling characters are fueled by a finely crafted musical landscape- a dark place where the audience is rarely comfortable, and always anticipating an unwelcome knock at the door.

Buy the ticket, take the ride. Chances are you'll want to do it again.

Loved this film! Great performances by Michael Dorman and Sophia Bush. Really made me miss home. Wonderful cinema, music, story.

Very much enjoyed this Movie. It drew me in from the First Frame and didn't let go until the Excellent Ending and Credits. Easy to latch on to all the characters and the Soundtrack is exceptional. Believable Small Town Storyline and Lead Couple. The Police Officer Actor (Brian Sacca) nails his Role !! Sadly I was only person at AMC matinee showing so my hooting and hollering at the end did not bother anyone except maybe the Projectionist who is probably a Robot ?