Amazon.com Customer Reviews
Forever Mine? - Oh, Never Mind - Review written on November 09, 2002
Rating: 1 out of 5
9 customers found this review helpful, 5 did not.
An excruciatingly boring movie with nothing to recommend it. Hard to believe that any film could make Joseph Fiennes seem uncharasmatic or Ray Liotta appear talentless, but this one manages to bury them both underneath an avalanche of trite cliches and slow pacing. Leading lady Gretchen Mol tries to bring life to her role through a series of overwrought grimaces, but she only comes off as a refugee from an old-fashioned melodrama. The script is abysmal; rather than allowing the characters to show any real emotion, it has them spell out their feelings to the audience via a series of "remember when's". As in, "Remember when I first saw you and my heart stopped?" Or, "Remember when we drank beers and gazed passionately into each other's eyes?" (snore) The cheesy dialogue isn't helped at all by Angelo Badalmenti's syrupy score, or the slightly out-of-focus "romantic" photography. On the whole, a silly and sophomoric dud that didn't make the theatrical rounds ... and isn't any better on home video.
Slightly Noir-ish & Incredibly Soapy Love & Revenge Story - Review written on September 27, 2002
Rating: 3 out of 5
4 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
Director Paul Schrader, known as writer too (of "Taxi Driver" and others), may not be everyone's favorite, and you are not impressed with his name any more, but still his style is unique in reminding me of those soapy, but engaging melodramas made in Hollywood in the 1950s.
Look at this story: Joseph Fiennes plays a towel boy (with a Spanish accent) at the beach of Miami, where he meets a newly-wed, but neglected wife (and Catholic) Gretchen Mol. Her husband Ray Liotta is dealing some (shady) business, and while he is away from the hotel, Fiennes and Mol fall in love with each other. Soon, however, sense of guilt compels her to confess the affair, and the enraged husband hires men to do what you know already when the film gets started.
Well, that's just a beginning. The director makes Fiennes come back years later, under heavy disguise of beard and another hairstyle and ... but wait! this is the most tricky part of the film. A British Fiennes, previously playing none other than the Bard, William Shakespeare, appears as a Hispanic American, and then he undergoes a physical transformation ... you really need a strong will to suspend the disbelief. But when you get over that part, and forget the fact that Liotta is typecast as a lout again, you will be entertained pretty much.
The fact is the story is not important. The obsession of the characters is playing the main part, and their acting is not bad, so the ride is quite agreeable, though predictable. Perhaps it is Gretchen Mol that attracts the eyes of the audience, male ones in particular. She is good as a wife torn between the love and the guilt.
As he always does, Paul Schrader sees the world from a different viewpoint, with our ordinary characteristics removed, and not-so-normal aspects exaggerated. The gorgeous seaside hotel of the opening scene looks somehow different, or bizzare perhaps (with the score of Angelo Padalamenti, famous for David Lynch films), and the characaters speak often corny dialogues as if they know they belong to those soap opera world. But that may be exactly the point.
...this Gretchen Mol flick. What a bargain. - Review written on May 26, 2002
Rating: 4 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 2 did not.
After watching "Attraction", I promised myself to pre-oder this movie on DVD -- which I did, with no regret. But please don't take it the wrong way. I mean, this so-called "romantic drama" sucked big time, especially its Monte-Cristo-fourteen-year-later part. Even the flashbacks didn't seem to give a plausible, convincing picture. (An IMDB commentator from England wrote that when this film was shown at the Torun camerimage festival in Poland, "the whole audience was in stitches, which would have been fine except this was supposed to be a romance"). So true. Whoever could envision beautiful young Gretchen Mol's love at first sight with a beardless Joseph Fiennes must be a hopeless romantic. Whoever could go farther to explain her attraction to a disfigured Senor Esquema (whom she kissed passionately even BEFORE he revealed himself as her former lover) must be a genius in helpless romanticism. Ironically, despite all those flaws, I decided to give "Forever Mine" 4 stars instead of none. Not as a comfort to the movie makers who were undoubtedly obsessed with Alexandre Dumas and Gustave Flaubert's great books. Simply because Gretchen Mol was so lovely and so wasted in her role, just like what happened to her in "Attraction". This beautiful and talented actress deserved all those 4 stars. How she managed to turn a camera-required chemical into a fascinating love scene was beyond me. Of course she didn't get to save this turkey, but she did give those who admire her enough patience to wait for something better (like her shining role in "The Thirteenth Floor"). I'll wait.
MY ALL TIME "SECOND" FAVORITE MOVIE! - Review written on May 03, 2002
Rating: 5 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
I say this is my second favorite movie because my very favorite is an old classic "An Imitation Of Life". I'm a pretty hard sell on movies, but I'm hooked on this one. I've tried in vain to find the soundtrack, namely, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, that is played at the end of the movie.....Roberta Flack, eat your heart out! I can't remember the name of the person who played Joseph Finnes sidekick but, they were equally Awesome!!. The only downside to this movie was the young lady who played the love interest, she just didn't do it for me acting-wise. And that is the "ONLY" downside to this movie. I Loved it, I Highly Recommend it!...Enjoy!!
So bad it's good - Review written on January 23, 2002
Rating: 4 out of 5
4 customers found this review helpful, 5 did not.
A cabana boy (Joseph Feinnes) falls in love with a married woman (Gretchen Mol) who is staying at the vacation resort that employs him along with her politically powerful husband (Ray Liota). After a little maneuvering the cabana boy seduces the married woman and then inserts his jade stem in her jade passageway followed by tearful farewells and her inevitable return home. Consumed by passion the cabana boy follows her to Yonkers New York where he continues to park his jizzm wagon in her love garage until her husband gets wind of things and warns him to stay away. Upon failing to heed this advice, cabana boy is shot and left for dead, but as luck would have it, he survives with his head conveniently disfigured beyond recognition. In the spirit of Monte Christo, cabana boy takes a few years off to build a new identity complete with wealth and powerful fiscal/criminal credentials before returning to the Empire State to obtain vengeance and to reclaim the object of his desires. In case it isn't patently clear what he's up to, he takes the name "Esquema" and a fake South American (but not Brazilian) accent. Cabana boy insinuates himself in the husband's life, solves his racketeering problems and then demands his wife as payment. Before you can say, "what is the point of revealing yourself if you're not going to kill him", cabana boy seduces the wife again and runs off with her. The couple spend an idyllic night in the country during which cabana boy repeatedly inserts his splutter plug into the wife's love socket before the husband catches up to them and shoots cabana boy in the morning. During the inconclusive ambulance ride in which we guess that cabana boy will either wind up dead or further disfigured/disguised, the wife reminds him of how they first met.
Oddly enough, this film is so wretchedly bad that it's good. "Forever Mine" is poorly done to the point of being wildly entertaining. How Joseph Feinnes and Ray Liota got roped into this film is beyond me. Even more puzzling is how Ray Liota who electrified audiences with his portrayal of visceral villains in "Something Wild" and "Good Fellows" managed to play such an incompetent bad guy in this film. In scene after scene, Liota attempts to be threatening and menacing but comes across as a nice family man doing his best to play a bad guys. The only original part of this film is the bad acting and while irony may no longer be in vogue, this is precisely what makes this movie worth watching.
Fiennes and Mol Light Up the Screen - Review written on October 15, 2001
Rating: 3 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful.
I watched Forever Mine last night and thought it was a pretty decent essay of an extramarital affair. We begin in the 1970's where Alan (Fiennes) is working at a swank hotel as a cabana boy. When he sees Ella, played by Mol, he falls instantly in love with her. The problem is she's married to a lowlife businessman (Ray Liotta, in full scumbag mode). They begin an affair which results in Alan getting disfigured from Liotta's goons and left for dead. Now it's 1987 and Alan is returning for revenge.
The dialogue is very cliche heavy, with dreamy declarations of love between Ella and Alan. But I thought that Fiennes and Mol were believable as the doomed duo. Liotta has got to stop playing the heavy. After seeing Heartbreakers and Blow, I know he's an amazing actor who can do so much more.
OK movie, but why this accent? - Review written on August 15, 2001
Rating: 3 out of 5
3 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
When I was thinking about ordering this movie on DVD I somehow doubted ist quality since "Forever Mine" was never released theatrically in the USA. But after reading several reports about it I kinda liked the storyline although it's nothing special: man and woman fall in love with each other, sadly she's married so they break up, he follows her, the husband get's angry and attempts to kill his rival. Another reason for me to buy this movie was the fact that the cast includes Ray Liotta, who's definitely one of the most talented and underrated actors in recent movie history.
"Forever Mine" starts extremely well (though I didn't like the opening credits) with beautiful locations and elegant direction but sadly Paul Schrader reduces the pace in the middle of the movie. For this reason you may need some patience to sit through this section. Another weakness is Joseph Fieness' accent. In my opinion it's simply too over the top and appears to be exaggerated and artificial. Don't get me wrong: I'm just an average German who learned English at school, maybe I'm wrong about this (please correct me if you think so) but his strange accent (at some points) almost ruined the movie for me. Still Fiennes' performance is quite OK (as long as you don't think about the accent) but he doesn't stand achance against beautiful and sexy Gretchen Mol (sadly her haircut looks awful in "Forever Mine") and especially Ray Liotta who's terrific in his usual bad guy role.
Thus "Forever Mine" is a nicely shot and well-acted movie though its only two weaknesses (slow moving center section, Fiennes' strange accent) might be crucial for some people.
Forever mine? Let's hope not! - Review written on June 20, 2001
Rating: 2 out of 5
3 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
Nice to see the Fiennes people here at work!
As far as 'Forever Mine' being a love story, well, there's no mistake there! 'Forever Mine' is like American Gigolo, meets Scar Face, meets the English Patient. OY! What a mess! And far less stylish I might ad. The plot has holes too large to fill in with roving tanks. And the dialogue! Double OY! (Paraphrasing here) "....Do you want this marriage to work..."? I wasn't sure if whether Liotta wanted the marriage to work with that line! "...Remember the night we walked for blocks in the snow because we couldn't get a taxi"? Huh? Some of Fiennes' lines were just as dreadful!
There was a comment about miscasting and Fiennes not being convincing enough to be taken seriously in the role that smitten out of the blue cabana boy/turned thug deviously driven by love and revenge. He is actually too nice, given "the nature of the beast". I don't know that Fiennes was truly miscast, it might simply have been direction. I don't know who is at fault.
I do have some good things to say. Fiennes' American accent is very good considering many British actors don't fair well with them. And the Cuban accent didn't seem to come off too badly. However, someone of Cuban background might prove a better judge. Ray Liotta is consistant. (Don't ask me what I meant by that) Gretchen Mol is fine considering what she had to work with.
While I can appreciate Mr. Fiennes as a good actor with enormous potential, it's probably a good, no wait, a GREAT thing 'Shakespeare In Love' hit the big screen before this one hit the little one! I agree with one of the other reviewers, that Fiennes' talent (along with the other actors) is wasted! An actor really never knows exactly what kind of mess he's gotten himself into until mid-way through or the finished product. Who knew?!
I remember reading stories that Schrader had difficulties in getting 'Forever Mine' to the big screen, it's just as well. I can forgive them this trespass, but I certainly can't defend this!
One other thing. Who was responsible for the makeup job regarding Fiennes'disfigurement? Whoa! Tight budget?
This movie is lush, mesmerizing...for some reason, I love it - Review written on May 01, 2001
Rating: 5 out of 5
8 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
The music, the lighting, the chemistry... I taped it when it was on TV, but will buy it when it is finally available on DVD. I'm usually a skeptical movie-watcher, and there are some lines here that others will call cheesy, but I think these superb actors make them believable. At one point, Ray Liotta says to Joseph Fiennes' over-the-top romantic character: "What is this gibberish? Nobody talks like this!" As a viewer, I was thinking the same thing, but believing in Fiennes' character nonetheless, and that scene made the character even more believable.
Gretchen Mol is lovely. The scene where she reads "Madame Bovary" to the elderly is so poignant...it's a shame this movie's distribution fell apart, because she deserved to be seen in this.
This is one of those movies I find myself watching again. Someone on salon.com did a great review of it...still available if you do a search for "salon" "forever mine".
A misunderstood film - Review written on April 29, 2001
Rating: 5 out of 5
7 customers found this review helpful, 3 did not.
Any true Paul Schrader fan must see this movie. Many reviewers have slighted the film, so much so, that it was never even released theatrically in the states. Still, I believe the film is much better than it has been given credit for, and that most reviews I have read have totally missed the point. The idea behind the film is an epic lovestory throwback to the classic movie,"Casablanca" type grandure. When you understand this, Schrader's heightened language and reality begin to make sence. If you give over to the film, the film will move you. Schrader is too smart and too good a film maker to put out garbage. Remember; we're talking about the man who wrote scripts like Raging Bull and Taxi Driver to name a few. The only major disapointment is Gretchen Mol. She is simply not a good enough actress to live up to Schrader's script. Joe Fiennes does very good, and maintains an intense presence through both identities of his Charactor. Of Course Ray Liotta is great as usual, with a strong performance by Vincent Laresca as well. The biggest surprise of the film was without a doubt the performance of newcomer Myk Watford, who plays Ray Liota's henchman with a superb mix of wild intensity, and humor. His and Liotta's performances will get you up in your seat everytime they come on camera. Bottom line: check it out, especially if you like schrader's other work.
It could have been great; still Fiennes saves it - Review written on April 03, 2001
Rating: 3 out of 5
3 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
I first saw this film because I am a major Joe Fiennes fan, having seen all his films and some of his plays. And I can understand why he wanted to make this film, because it must have looked like a great project on paper. The final result didn't live up to my expectations, but the actors are not to be held responsible for it.
In 'Forever Mine', we have Joe Fiennes doing accents, both American and Latino. He plays Alan Ripley, a cabana boy in a fancy hotel in Miami. Alan is pretty much the 'good boy' type, and very good-looking too. One day he sees one if the guests coming out from the sea, Ella, a young woman played by Gretchen Mol. It is like a thunderbolt, because he falls for her at first sight.
The thing is, Ella is married to Mark, a dangerous politician without any scruples played by Ray Liotta. She is not happy with her marriage and happens to fall for Alan too. While Mark is on a business cruise, Ella and Alan become lovers. When Mark gets back and the couple goes home to New York, Alan tries to follow her. Ella confesses to her husband that she had an affair with Alan, the cabana boy in Miami, and Mark decides to have Alan arrested, then shot in the face. When he thinks Alan is dead, he leaves the body alone, but it turns out that Alan was alive. He will return 14 years later, rich, with a deformed face and a latino accent, under the name Manuel Esquema.
The problem in this film is a series of clichés and bad lines that the actors have to deliver, along with a surrealistic makeup for Joseph Fiennes as Manuel. I couldn't help missing his English accent (not that he doesn't sound convincing as an American; he does, but I couldn't help it). It is difficult to understand how Paul Schrader, who has written good screenplays in the past, could have such a lack of imagination. Especially when it could have been great, because he had everything to make it so.
Joe Fiennes plays a likable Alan/Manuel and gives a virtuoso and very passionate performance; Gretchen Mol does a good job, Ray Liotta makes you hate his character and so on. The love scenes are good, meaning the chemistry worked well between Fiennes and Gretchen Mol.
Now, I'm not putting the film down: I am getting the DVD and I recommend watching it. Opinions vary, and some critics have described 'Forever Mine' as a delighful romance. It's not that I disagree with them, I just think that Fiennes deserved a much better material to work on, better lines. So did the other actors.
I suppose this is one of those films you have to see and form your own opinion. I have heard people say they liked it a lot, others not so much. If anything, it is worth seeing for Joseph Fiennes, whose talent never disappoints.