Goodbye Lover (1999)

Too much of everything

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Two brothers and their lovers become embroiled in mounting murder plots with a lucrative inheritance on the horizon in this comedy thriller full of twists and turns. To say much more might ruin a fresh experience, but suffice it to say, the film is a surefire testament to the dangers of placing too much trust in another human being. The characters live in a very sad world where they can never really trust one another. On the same account though, they are all so greedy and self-absorbed that it is hard to truly care for them; this is one of those awkward films where it is difficult to find a character to root for. The only ostensibly honorable person is a born again Christian detective played by Roy McKinnon, but the way he weaves spirituality into every conversation actually renders him least likable. Ellen DeGeneres also gets on the nerves as McKinnon's wisecracking partner, but she does admittedly have her amusing moments. By all accounts, this is quite a divisive film with not everyone appreciating what director Roland Joffé has opted for by blending neo-noir thriller elements with lighthearted humour. As one would expect from a Joffé film though, it is a well crafted piece of cinema. John Ottman's music score varies effectively between being enchanting and atmospheric and Dante Spinotti's frequently angular cinematography and mobile camera-work ensures that the film is visually arresting. The twists and turns also happen with enough frequency that the film rarely bores even if it is occasionally hard to care for the despicable characters at hand.

If you've got nothing better to do one night and manage to catch this little gem on late night TV, then it's worth an hour and a half of your time. A stylishly shot quirky film noir with a plot that twists and turns like a twisty-turny thing. With a sizzling performance by the weird femme fatale Patricia Arquette, and great dialogue from Ellen de Generes as the laconic cop, it's a very entertaining thriller.Be warned if you are a cynic, Citizen Kane it ain't, but if you're a fan of the genre and into the Likes of Last Seduction, Bound, Palmetto etc., this underrated piece of work may just tickle your fancy.

Goodbye Lover may start out like pure trashy nonsense what with Don Johnson (as Ben) and Patricia Arquette (as Sandra) running around in the church having enough sex to make a person cross-eyed. The story finally takes off when the characters do more talking and we find out that the couple's affair (Ben's sleeping with his brother's wife) turns awry once Ben decides he's had enough and Sandra's decided that he's not getting off light, even though he'd like to forget the whole mess, her included. But, lo! Someone plunges some forty stories to his (or her) death, someone with a life insurance policy worth millions (of course). Now, if you are literate in modern noir, you know that there is always a financial motive to murder, that more than one person is after the money (including not-so-clean-cut investigators and other law enforcement), and everyone is willing to turn on another (with the body count rising) to get away free with the riches. That's the kind of story we have here, and sometimes it is a little confusing as to what exactly the plan is and just who is in on it, as we are thrown a few clever surprises here and there. Bottom line: trust no one. The movie is pretty funny, despite the creepy characters and their shameful and casual approach to stuffing their pockets. And much of the comedy element comes from Ellen Degeneres who plays Sgt. Pampano, a cynical sarcastic investigator who knows that the inital murder (which set off the other chain of events) is no accident, and that everyone has a darkside, despite her optimistic, and often naive partner, Rollins (Ray McKinnon). It is quite an entertaining thriller, once you get past the first ten minutes or so. Once the victim plunges to his death from the top floor, the movie actually starts to become a pretty interesting, wholly involving story. A funny one, too. Excellent.

okay, firstly i have to admit i goofed up big time. the screenplay to this movie is co-written by a certain joel cohen. i in my half bored-to-death stupor thought it was joel coen of fargo, hudsucker proxy and o! brother fame. so i decided to watch this movie on t.v the other day.the movie though is surprisingly not so bad, it is a silly little crime thriller (?) or a smart little dark comedy ... or somewhere in between, doesnt matter. the fact of the matter is that the plot is quite unbelievable and silly, but thee are enough interesting twists coming at you all the time, that it doesnt seem so bad at all.have a little patience and you might well be rewarded in watching this quirky little movie. give it a shot, it aint all that bad. patricia arquette is a total miscast as the femme fatale, very unconvincing. ellen degeneres is quite funny (rude, yes. but funny still) the rest of the cast just fills up the numbers in this not so bad dark comedy / light thrillera mildly entertaining 7!