Untamed Heart (1993)

Touches You

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I do agree with the other reviewers it is a touching story line if you can get past the annoying performances of Marisa Tomei and Rosie Perez. Tomei overacts throughout the movie, actually appears to be struggling with the part. Rosie Perez as usual brings to mind, what was Hollywood thinking? Over the top annoying accent, worse than the chalk on the blackboard annoyance. This is the second film Rosie ruined for me, after It Could Happen To You.Christian Slater is the only redeeming quality with his flawless performance. Without Tomei and Perez the film is a 10.

Really a very sweet and a very kind movie. As it shows Christian Bale whom everybody predicted to be a big name star but really with the wrong roles he choose prevented that. As Marisa Tomei did not live up to her Oscar winning role in "My Cousin Vinny!" Still really good with Bale playing Adam a simple minded young 26-year old who is shy, works two jobs, and has never talked to anybody after growing up an orphan with nuns. Marisa is the tough talking Caroline who has had her heart broken one too many times by a bunch of losers.Then after two lowlifes try to rape her, Adam who has been quietly watching out for her as she does not know it at the time. But after she realizes it is him, both begin a quiet and silent relationship.That none of her friends know about. As Adam hardly has any friends at all. But still, Adam will only talk to Caroline as he feels Caroline can relate to him.The movie ends on a bitter sweet note. As the supporting cast lead by Rosie Perez adds nice support to it. Not Oscar worthy but a great and sweet movie.

One more time: this comment does contain spoilers!I just saw this for the first time; I enjoyed the romance but felt a little bewildered by how implausible the whole thing was. Perhaps I should have watched it in 1993 to really understand it. Or more to the point, it's best approached as a fantasy, and not as a "realistic" romantic story.First off: Both characters are just plain naive. And yes, I know that's what the whole movie is about, but it could be a turnoff for some, so you've been warned. These are adults in their 20s, but they seem more like 14 years old enjoying their very first crush. So be prepared to just accept the assumption that these people are essentially kids in puppy love.One thing that really bothered me - SPOILER! - was the revelation that the boy had been stalking the girl even up to the point of breaking into her house to watch her sleep. That's seriously creepy. Fortunately Christian Slater plays the innocent well enough that we can believe his motivations were totally pure and romantic, but that doesn't change how weird his behavior really is. If a boyfriend of 2 weeks told me he'd broken into my house to watch me sleep, my reaction would certainly not be a big bewildered hug. No wonder she had been such fodder for other, more abusive men in the past. As usual I begin with my list of complaints, so now for the reason I did in fact love this movie: this movie is just plain sweet. Only sweet, no more and no less, but if you're looking for something to make you cry and believe in love, you'll be very satisfied. It does "pure tender romance" perfectly, and is surprisingly well crafted. The chemistry is believable and the acting is great all around; I willingly suspended my disbelief when it turned out - of course - that the silent and presumably retarded boy is in fact very intelligent and perceptive.That type of beauty-and-the-beast storyline is pretty much what these romances are all about, complete with very traditional gender roles, helplessness, and codependency. If you can tolerate such a naive and simplistic view of love, you'll enjoy the quality of this film. It just feels good, unrealistic as it may be.Warning: don't let any teenage girls see it, lest they develop an unhealthy "knight in shining armor" or "I can change him" obsession. The characters don't have time to grow together - by the end of the movie, they are still in their 20s, holding even deeper faith in the innocence and purity of true love.As a real-world romance this would get a 5 or less, but as a fantasy romance, it's a solid 9 out of 10.

This movie captured the essence of the day. Although this film was suppose to be depicted from a small town in Minnesota, I have come to learn that this journey actually began long ago in the heart and mind of a young boy who grew up in Northern New Jersey. This young man grew up in the footsteps of what would later become the backyard of what is today's "Soprano's environment". Writer Tom Sierchio searched deep into his childhood experiences, thoughts and background to come up with this heartfelt story of a young man with a heart of wonderment. Mr. Serchio helped the viewers understand the various levels of intelligences and the heart which embodies this movie. Mr. Serchio developed a very humble and sincere plot to develop the character of this young man named Adam portrayed by Christian Slater. Mr Slater was outstanding in bringing us the essence of this young man's heart and soul. In addition to the excellent acting of Mr. Slater, we have a young Marisa Tomei stealing our hearts by opening up her soul to this young Adam's purity. The movie is a piece of history and should be cherished by all those who remember the days.Hats off to Mr. Serchio and the entire crew!