Big Bad Love (2001)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Did not see the first part of the movie, but the cable guy showed up and restored my IFC and this movie was playing.The 4 word title describes it well. For those who appreciate poeticism and an only loosely linear plot line that serves as a framework for larger things, then you will enjoy this movie.Thank you to those who made the film for choosing acting ability and realism over rigid and sterile glamor. It's hard to explain what I mean by that, but the actors and the settings pull the viewer into the story. You feel like you're the person with the cameras -- your eyes -- acting as a shadow to the protagonist's life. You feel privileged to be witness and to allow the emotions the characters feel wash through and into you.The passages of prose read throughout the movie blur the line that often demarks the transforming of a novel into a film. I'm not even sure if it was a book first, and if it wasn't, it had the feel of it.The liner notes on the IFC info screen on the TV said that Arliss Howard, the protagonist, and Debra Winger, the female lead, are married, and Arliss also directed.Wonderful acting. Great locations. Well edited. Have Kleenex handy.

This is a truly awful film. I could not finish it, but if i had I am sure i would have rated it a 1, rather than two. It is unbelievably pretentious and pointless. There is not much to say, really except this movie stinks. I have no problem with art films (I am an artist), but this was a wannabe art flick of the worst type: more a joke about student films than a real movie. There are random, unexplained clowns strewn about the film like cameos in The Player. Really- random clowns? If that is the only way the director/writer/whoever can express emotional confusion or disaffection or whaterver other crock of crap they are supposed to be a metaphor of, he needs to throw in the towel. It is an insult to your intelligence.

Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap. Truly refreshing storytelling. Maybe not for everyone, but not intended to be. Extraordinary! Powerful frayed-wire motivations propel this film through starkly beautiful, accessible scenes. A story of rejection and redemption, family and friendship. Director Arliss Howard stars as a man tripped up by life but struggling to get back on his feet, re-assimilate and rise above his troubles. Howard's wife, Debra Winger also stars.

One has to admire an actor like Arliss Howard for his courage in bringing this film to the screen. It is a painful story to watch, but it has its own rewards. The movie played locally only for a very short time, and sadly, it disappeared until it was shown recently on cable, for which we are grateful. Perhaps with another director, some of the kinks in the film would have been ironed out. There are scenes that are just too painful to watch. Our hearts go out to Barlow and what he is going through at this time of his life. His writing is brilliant, but most everyone he submits his novels to, end up rejecting them. Barlow cannot take another defeat in his life.To make matters worse, his divorce from Marilyn is driving him insane. We often wonder how these two unmatched pair thought they were going to make it at all. In bad marriages, both parties remain bitter over every little detail dictated by the court when they must separate.Arliss Howard, as Barlow gives a heart felt performance. We see him sinking lower and lower without a safety net to hold him. Unfortunately, Debra Winger's time on screen is very short. Ms Winger makes this woman an enigma since we don't really know where her head is at. The other actors are good. Paul Le Mat, Rosanna Arquette and above all, a short, but very excellent turn by Angie Dickinson, make us care about the fate of these people.