Hysterical Blindness
In the 80's they said love was a battlefield..They were right.
It's 1987 in Bayonne, New Jersey. The bars are full and smoky, and two old friends, Debby and Beth, are out looking for a good time.
With her hair teased up, makeup on and a tight white dress, you'd never suspect that Bet (Juliette Lewis) is a single mother. And with designer jeans so tight they look sprayed on, and blonde hair blow-dried high, you'd never suspect that Debby (Uma Thurman) was lonely and desperate, she's looking for the kind of love they sing about in songs, the kind that lasts forever. But what she doesn't see is that the guys she meets are only looking for a love that lasts one night.
Member Reviews
Artless - SultanPhilippides
This is a gem of artlessness. Stories about hard luck, or the hardscrabble existence or real pain and darkness need the magic hand of art to make them digestible.
Otherwise, they are best communicated as documentaries.
This is a movie about hard luck, including the hard luck of being mindless, uncultured, stupid and thoughtless bundled up in the world of the ugly North American city.
If there was ever a movie begging for artful handling it's this one.
I was deeply disappointed as the film stars a number of very fine actors. What an act of unbridled prostitution it must have been for them to act in this one.A little gem - Cottagecritic
Tiny houses in the shadows of the bridges that lead to New York City but no one in this movie ever considers leaving. A fine character driven portrait of people who live small and dream small...but leave a big impression on the viewer. Trapped in New Jersey and trapped in the 80's, the two women--Thurman and Lewis--deliver memorable moments.A simple character study. - cathyottawa
That's all this film is, but sometimes great things come in simple packages, and this film ended up being a real treat.
The descriptor gave me the impression that this was going to be a comedy, but it's actually a surprisingly touching drama, that oozes authenticity. I recognized these girls immediately - the ones who never really left high school, even though they're in their late 20s.
Uma Thurman took me on a real journey with her character, Debbie. I started out disliking her, but by the end, my heart was breaking for her, in one of the saddest, most touching scenes I've ever seen put to film.
Juliette Lewis was equally great, and right at home as Beth, a white trash single mom.
This isn't plot driven, and we leave Debbie and Beth pretty much as we find them, but it succeeds as a character study of a broken girl, who wants and needs so much to be loved. It's almost like a really great monologue, that's been fleshed out into a story.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Artless - SultanPhilippides
This is a gem of artlessness. Stories about hard luck, or the hardscrabble existence or real pain and darkness need the magic hand of art to make them digestible.
Otherwise, they are best communicated as documentaries.
This is a movie about hard ...A little gem - Cottagecritic
Tiny houses in the shadows of the bridges that lead to New York City but no one in this movie ever considers leaving. A fine character driven portrait of people who live small and dream small...but leave a big impression on the viewer. Trapped in New Jersey ...A simple character study. - cathyottawa
That's all this film is, but sometimes great things come in simple packages, and this film ended up being a real treat.
The descriptor gave me the impression that this was going to be a comedy, but it's actually a surprisingly touching drama, that oozes ...