With this in mind, it's hard to give an accurate report as to whether Feast of Love
is actually any good. Because in the hands of anyone else, the woefully
cheesy & philosophical dialogue would be considered for some kind
of "Most-Likely-To-Be-A-Year-12-Media-Assignment" award, but with
Freeman behind the words - it all kind of makes sense.
Kind of...
As the title suggests, Feast of Love
is all about... well, love.
The flick follows several characters which
often temps the audience into thinking that we may be privy to a
cleverly intertwined Pulp Fiction type adventure (however, for some reason, it ends up looking like the writer gave up on such a plan by the half way mark).
Greg
Kinnear plays Bradley who believes in the power and beauty of true
love. He’s good at falling in love - just with the wrong women (one
turns lesbian, the other is a chronic cheater). Bradley’s friend Harry
(Morgan Freeman) is happily married to the grandmotherly Esther, but
they are dealing with the loss of a different kind of love (the loss of
a child, which is never quite explained in any real detail).
At the
same time, the youthful Oscar (Toby Hemingway) and Chloe (Alexa
Davalos) are busy falling in love at first sight and starting their
life together, even though the odds (and fate) are against them.
There is plenty that works in Feast of Love, but there is plenty that doesn't. The film, directed by Robert Benton (Kramer Vs Kramer)
often veers towards pretty poorly constructed High School play -
or at the very least, one of the better written pieces by your local
amateur theatre group - except in the place of the local butcher, Greg
Kinnear has been cast. And in place of the aging
nun-with-dreams-of-acting... well, there's some pretty stunning nude
scenes with Rahda Mitchell.
While Feast of Love
features some great moments and good performances (Selma Blair remains
one of the cutest, yet most under used actresses in Hollywood), the
film ultimately tends to dissipate into wave after wave of philosophy
that is never really backed up by reality.
I love the idea of
love winning through as much as the next man, woman or child - but a 90
minute serve is just a little too much.
If you want reassurance that love exists in a neatly packaged date movie - rent out The Notebook. If you want to be soothed by the vocals of Freeman at any cost, then Feast of Love just might do the trick. EXTRAS
A
surprisingly good number and quality of extras are included on this
disc. Something which more than makes up for any of the inconsistencies
in the film itself.
There are a handful of featurettes here, all
of which are very much worthwhile (which, to be honest, you can't say
to often these days - so they've obviously done something right). Keep an eye in particular for "What Fools These Mortals Be" which works wonders with the material.
A truly superb cast makes this well worth checking out next time your at the DVD shop.
Conclusion:
Movie 65% Extras: 65%
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