Coup de foudre pour toujours

If you had lived it or similar, then you would appreciate this powerful story much more... I am pleased it's only for we chosen few, as it is heartbreaking. My story is not quite the same, but has too many similarities for comfort. These things do happen and before you start squealing about content and acting and production, try thinking of a few others out here to whom it may mean a lot. I understand and agree about some of the dialog, but don't be so shallow and look only at the immediate appeal as entertainment. This is a deep and moving story well told. The dialog could improve, but tell me a movie where perfection in script, acting cinematography can't be improved somewhat. Have you produced or directed the perfect movie yet? V

"Patrick Swayze and Melanie Griffith are 'Ben' and 'Lulu'. Years ago, they had an intense passionate affair, a relationship that ended very badly. Now, fifteen years later, he's a successful, married writer who gets a desperate call… Lulu needs his help. Chaotic and confused, she reveals a huge secret that they alone must deal with. Together, on a fiery cross-country journey they will find a new direction that points to their future," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

The irrelevant opening has Ms. Griffith and Ryan Bollman (as Freddie) in a San Francisco home for schizophrenics, estimating the number of blow-jobs "Lulu" has given (he calculates the number to be 500). Then, a connection is made between Griffith and Mr. Swayze, as they separately watch a television airing of the "The Hustler" (1961); Griffith and Swayze recite, verbatim, the dialogue delivered by Paul Newman (as Eddie) and Piper Laurie (as Sarah).

Writer/director John Kaye has a good melodrama with the weakly titled "Forever Lulu" (strengthened to "Along for the Ride" for DVD release). But, the film is poorly structured, and looks rushed. The first thing I wanted to re-edit was the bar scene where Swayze re-encounters Griffith; she should have been introduced in long and/or medium shots, followed by a close-up. A later Griffith nude pool scene is much to staid; it should have been shot like Marilyn Monroe's swim in "Something's Got to Give" (1962).

I have met both Swayze and Griffith, and these characters remind me so much of the actors (which is not to say they are exactly like the characters). When watching Swayze during the film's early scenes, I caught on to a layer of sadness he is using for the characterization of "Ben". As the film progresses, a plot revelation confirms something more (sad) about his character. Swayze had a distant melancholy about him, even before his illness was diagnosed; and, I believe this quality, along with an open naturalness, drew you to him. An engaging man.

Griffith is also a lovely person, though quite unlike Swayze (apart from the flashbacks, their characters do not have much "chemistry"). Since Griffith may read this sometime, I met her at a 1980s party - she was (you were) there via a hairdresser friend and I with a DJ friend. We left for the patio to chain-smoke (Hey, Melanie, I quit!), and spoke about life's challenges… I didn't "go" to movies then, and was not aware of how popular an actress Melanie Griffith was; seeing her films now, I admire her work, and see some of the "Melanie" I met in the "Lulu" character.

****** Forever Lulu (7/7/00) John Kaye ~ Melanie Griffith, Patrick Swayze, Penelope Ann Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

This was another one of the DVDs that I got when I purchased the DVD player and as before I watched any of the films that were there I thought oh great these are going to be a bunch of rubbish films just thrown in to make the company look like it gives good offers! I'm a big fan of Patrick anyways and thats what made me watch this first. When it first started I thought hmm this is interesting pretty slow moving but after that I thought it was a great well written moving story.

In the end I felt great that things had finally worked out for Lulu and that Ben had written finally a good book about there time together on the road trip to see there son. Yeah great film would say that everyone should watch it!

Director and writer John Kaye has put a lot of heart into the making of 'Forever Lulu'. With an innovative story he tackles lots of different themes of love like a love between a husband and a wife, an undying love between a two former lovers that was interrupted by a mental illness and a love between parents and children. Part of 'Forever Lulu' is a road movie and the viewer is given some wonderful glimpses of the American landscape. The story is tight and moves at a steady pace. On the flip side, I wonder why the Steven Bauer- Penelope Ann Miller track was left open to the viewers. The performances by the three main leads are great. It is finally good to see Melanie Griffith do something of note. Her subtle yet spirited performance and occasionally (but suitably) explosive scenes reflect her skills as a talented actress. Patrick Swayze too gives a nuanced and understated performance. Penelope Ann Miller is wonderfully pulls off a role that could have easily been messed up by a lesser actor. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Richard Schiff have small roles but they have a welcoming presence. I also liked the soundtrack which is whimsical at times and gentle at others. The film is quite well executed overall and I wonder why I had not heard much about it during the last years. The film was more than I had expected because given the recent track record of the three leads I expected a lesser film but instead got a pleasant surprise.

A soul-searching, touching film with excellent performances by all of the major characters. The film was in many ways much less predictable than I had thought it would be at the very beginning. Ms Griffin gives an excellent and totally believable performance; plus, an unusually clear insight into the mind of her character--not an easy task at all. I hesitated to buy this one, so I rented it. I am so glad I did...the movie was much more than I had expected from reading the cover and well worth the watch. On the other hand, I found it to be very unsettling and therefore am glad that I did not buy it because I will always remember this one clearly enough not to want to watch it again--it reaches deep into your heart. Highly recommended...