Love, Ludlow

The opening of Love Ludlow reminded me just a little of a movie I saw a few years ago at Sundance called Haiku Tunnel. But Ludlow quickly developed into a romantic comedy between Myra (Alicia Gordanson), a tough-talking office temp from Queens, and Reggie (David Eigenberg), an nice-guy office loner who lacks confidence. Reggie is immediately attracted to Myra, who eventually gives him a shot. But things get off to a rocky start when Reggie meets Myra's brother Ludlow, a man-child in his early 20's that Myra cares for in their apartment. Smart but inexplicably immature, Ludlow is committed to sabotaging Reggie so he can remain Myra's sole human interest.

The movie has clever writing with some very funny lines, but often feels like they were designed for the stage. (Reggie: You're being sarcastic. Ludlow: It's the number one export from Queens.) Gordanson and Eigenberg provide strong performances with some tantalizing, if often awkward, chemistry. But the plot drifts at times and the ending fails to satisfy. (I was longing for a little more resolution.) Love Ludlow is an interesting twist for a romantic comedy. Most viewers will find the movie enjoyable. But it's better not to look at this one too critically. If you do, you're liable to love Ludlow a little less.

We saw Love, Ludlow at the Big Apple Film Festival and like it very much. Big Apple is the newest and still the smallest (and I'm sure they want to feel, the hippest) of the three NYC festivals--NYFF and Tribeca.

The first several minutes are slow and not involving enough, but then once the characters start to play out, you are taken in. Terrific acting, and a great woman hero for a change. I grew up in Queens and I think the lead character is completely right.

Brendan won Best Male Performance of the Festival, and the film took second place for Best Feature.

All deserved, of course.

First time screenwriter David Patterson adapted his own play 'Finger Painting in a Murphy Bed' for the film LOVE, LUDLOW making the onus of the success of the film rest heavily on his shoulders. Fortunately the producers found first-time director Adrienne J. Weiss who has capably transformed a delicate triangle into a solid little comedy. If polish is lacking in the final product it can easily be forgiven by the fact that this is a new venture.

A three character story, each of the three people we get to know is borderline functional in their approach to life and the world at large. Myra (Alicia Goranson) is a hard working office temp but is socially crippled by the fact that she is the caretaker for her bipolar brother Ludlow (Brendan Sexton III) who is confined to their tiny apartment and demands every ounce of Myra's attention. At work, love starved but socially anxious Myra meets Reggie (David Eigenberg), a gentle naive soul who has never been in any type of relationship. The two socially inept people find 'something that is missing' in their lives, but when Myra faces the fact that she is confined to quarters due to the obligation compulsive Ludlow's care and when Reggie meets Ludlow and realizes Myra is unable to move out of her life space due to Ludlow's childlike tantrums and demands, the strange trio's compatibility is challenged and the method in which the three cope with the big decisions in their lives is the resolution of the movie.

The dialogue is sharp but more in keeping with a stage drama than a film: there is a lack of flow, which is not the fault of the editors or the cinematographer or the director. The script is stage bound. But given that fact, this is a modern comedy, funny at times, aching at times, but always reflecting the innate humor in even the saddest of human lives. The trio of leads gives fine performances as do the supporting cast members. In a year where sibling dysfunction is one of the topics du jour, LOVE, LUDLOW holds up well in the competition. Grady Harp

I walked into Love, Ludlow, on a whim at Sundance 2005 on Thursday evening, having heard nothing about the picture. I was much more than pleasantly surprised. The performances are excellent--first rate mature acting to create a world of adults who in many ways are like children, and total immersion and commitment to the whimsical "Queens, NY" depicted in the movie. The ambiguity of Ludlow's exact affliction adds texture to the piece and facilitates a deeper emotional connection to the material, and the jokes are just plain funny. I also was impressed at how skillfully and fluidly the film moved from comedy to drama, from situational humor to pathos. The audience laughed repeatedly throughout the show, and for all my skepticism I walked out with a smile on my face, and I was not alone. This is a fun, well-made, commercial, jauntily independent film I hope will get released soon.

I like to relax, kickback and watch a comedy. Therefor I kept waiting and waiting for the comedy to start. In the end my wait was over, the fun hadn't come. A comedy? questionable. It looks more like an independent movie which leans more toward the genre known as drama.

In 'Love, Ludlow' the life of a woman living and having to take care of her retarded(?) brother is being portrayed. The ups, the downs and how one would have to deal with it; how it affects aspects of life. She's trying to date a guy, pretty sensitive and scared, but in order to start a working relationship both have to overcome and accept the obstacle known as Ludlow (her brother). Very good, very nice imagery, not a good comedy. But definitely a good movie. As a drama (or what I think of as drama) I'd give it an eight point five, as a comedy I'd give it a two, not much fun. After a compromise with myself I gave it a seven.