Goodbye Lover

"Goodbye Lover" is certainly unpredictable, but there is a catch: once you've figured out the movie's cynical attitude (every single character is a slimy cheat looking for the big bucks), the twists all fall into the same pattern and lose their impact. Ellen DeGeneres is particularly grating; Don Johnson, Mary Louise Parker and even Ray McKinnon come off better, because they are pleasingly understated. (**1/2)

A Goodbye can also be a Hello - not necessarily for the same person - actually quite likely not for the same person. But a Hello nonetheless. And while this dark humor filled thriller might entice and surprise you (I was, especially after the first big inciting incident, not having read anything about this) - it might run out of air after a while. I would beg to differ overall, but I can see that especially after that big shock (which some might already be aware of anyway, having read upon the movie) there seems to be a bit of downfall. And as much as I fell in love with certain characters, the ending seems a bit ... too easy. All that aside, the actors do a phenomenal job and the movie keeps the tension high throughout. And since it does have a tendancy to show you what might happen (or what some characters think should happen next), it keeps you on your toes to find out, if its true or just in the mind of the character. Very well done thriller, with a lot of "foreplay" and other erotic sidenotes, that you'll either fall for or you won't.

You can't please everyone. If you have a story that's easy to follow people will say its boring and predictable. If you have a richly complex story, people will say its labyrinthine and confusing. The trick is to have something in the middle, and that is what Goodbye Lover gives us.

The central thread is simple. The complications happen on the periphery. You can't watch this movie with one eye closed. You have to pay attention! How can you have a mystery when you already know whodonnit? Ah, that is the question. Are you up to the challenge?

This is a comedy. Comedies have license to be wacky and over-the-top. Patricia Arquette and Ellen DeGeneres give standout performances. I love this movie. Its very entertaining, very clever, very funny, fast paced, never boring. Isn't that what a comedy should be?

The death of "Goodbye Lover" obviously came in its editing. Because watching it, you do see that hidden within the numerous layers of ridiculous bile, there was at some point, an actually coherent plot. Not to fault editor Bill Steinkamp too terribly, because while the story may be choppy and often unexplained and lacking a central arc due to the cuts made, one gets the overwhelming impression that, with or without editing, this film *stinks*.

It doesn't know whether it wants to be funny, tense, smarmy, sexy, or devious. It is literally as if the writers drew slips of paper titled "things we like about movies" from a hat and put it into the script. Director Roland Joffé (who did The Killing Fields - what happened?!) does his best, I guess, but that is not enough. The cast tries hard enough that it's only fair to warrant that it isn't their fault. But, there's nothing that could have saved this movie short of never making it.

Things are not well in the Dunmore family. Sandra is an improvement tape freak who's marriage is rocky as her husband Jake hits the bottom of every bottle in the bar. This affects his work (but luckily his brother owns the company. However Ben is having sex with Sandra. This drives Jake to the point of suicide, however when Ben comes to stop him Ben becomes the victim of a plot that sees numerous twists.

I didn't have a clue what this was about when I watched it – and that helped. The start is OK and sets it up as a quirky film, with Arquette listening to self-improvement tapes and `The Sound of Music'. However it then gets dark with the murder itself but then veers between comedy and noir right till the end where we get a `to the camera' final line. The plot itself is OK – not great but passable. However it's not helped by the film not really knowing what it is – a comedy or a noir. Due to this it fails to do well in either but is watchable as both.

The thriller/noir bits don't work because they are damaged by the comedy and the slightly farfetched nature of the constant twists. The comedy doesn't work because it's either too quirky or just plain tired - witness Ellen DeGeneres deliver one dull putdown after another. However it is still enjoyable – merely because it's glossy and moves fast.

Arquette is sexy at some points but annoying at others – she is OK but I wouldn't pick her as my choice for femme fatale. Mulroney is OK but unmemorable. Parker again is good but I can't remember much about her character – she had little to do. The best bits come from the cameo of Gallo and a good early role for Don Johnson. DeGeneres is poor because she's lumbered with a poor role and no jokes to work with,

Overall I wasn't bored and didn't hate it. However it is a mix of styles and in no way is it a neo-noir of any description. However from the director of `The Big Easy' and a good cast of good actors I really expected more.