Le coeur en sommeil

I mean I REALLY tried to like this one. I am a sucker for romances( and I mean sucker)and Jenna Elfman can be a great comedic actor but she doesn't seem to be giving it her all in this drama. Randall Batinkoff is just beautiful. Samantha Mathis sings really well and is usually pretty good in these types of movies and then there is the now seemingly ever-present Bruce Davison. With a cast like this you would think what a winner. Sorry it just didn't happen. It's a romance for crap sake and you just don't feel it for anybody. Why does she care? Why does he like her so much? No tension no spark and why did Jenna keep putting her hand over her mouth at the end? If it was to stop herself from screaming I could understand that because I know I wanted to. I mean if you have 90 minutes to waste (and I mean waste) feel free to watch but if you are expecting anything other than something to waste that time with don;t bother.

This is a terrible film, although the lighting is nice and some of the furniture is quite stylish. The plot, or to be more specific, premise, is absurd, the dramatic pauses are chasms, and the piano score drowns out the whispered and banal dialog. This is a soap opera film -- the type that usually requires several hankies -- but you'll find yourself shredding Kleenes out of boredom, and spending more time looking at your watch then the screen. Yes, the female lead is lovely. Put her naked in a zombie movie. THe male lead appears as if he escaped from daytime TV, and is none too happy about it. The actor who looks like Ed Begley Jr isn't Ed Begley Jr. Oh, there are two "music video" sequences that went out with "Play Misty for Me." I thought this film might be a pleasant romance with fantasy overtones -- the fantasy was all mine.

I found this movie very encouraging to me, as I have too suffered a tremendous loss in my life...the suicide 11 months ago of my 29 year old daughter...having suffered a loss similar to the people in "Touched" the empathy & persevering compassion of the lead girl in this film is so edifying...it really is hard to find a reason to keep living, keep going on, and even though the tempo of the film was 'slower' than normal, that is really representative of how time and life seem to pass for me...somehow the nurse's presence & help seemed to nurture my heart as well. I personally feel like the lead character did, helpless & hopeless, and the path to recovery (I'm not there yet) is slow slow slow, has setbacks, and only is possible with the love, presence, and faithfulness of friends or family.

The plot is horribly sappy and painfully slow. And I even like tear jerkers! I have absolutely no medical training but I can't imagine the this story being medically possible.

But those long long long face shots give you lots of time to admire Jenna Elfman's marvelous face. I have to wonder if this movie was made to prove that Jenna Elfman can do serious drama. Well, she can! But, what she really needs is a movie that shows off her considerable range.... funny, sexy and serious.

This movie shows her as sexy and VERY serious. VERY VERY serious.

The supporting roles are unmemorable and the plot is just plain taxing. The production values are fine although the movie is just drowning in patina.

But if you love Jenna Elfman, as I do, you'll want to see her in "Touched" since you just can't get enough of that face.

It seems as this movie was made for Jenna (who is also an executive producer of it, remember). In fact, she is the leading performer here, and her character is the one that keeps the story going and evolving. Too bad that the script and perhaps the editing have some flaws, which I won't discuss here (just see the movie and enjoy it - as much as possible). And there are some inconsistencies in the characters, including Jenna's.

But all in all it's a refreshingly different kind of a movie than the bulk of ordinary Hollywood products. If your idea of a "movie" is "The Lord Of The Rings", you would fall asleep while watching "Touched": it's sad, it unfolds slowly, it's dark (I mean few lights), and quite quiet (btw, how's that sound, "quite quiet", he he?).

I have been curious about this movie, and again, Jenna is a very good actress, not just a wacko comedy blonde chick. Just watch carefully her dramatic performance here and admire how she really, really saved even the lamest melodramatic moments. Forget about "Dharma & Greg", "Looney Tunes Back In Action" and stuff like that, Jenna still has to get the role stimulating enough and fit to her talent.