Eric Roberts as Frank ... Beverly D'Angelo as Alma ... Joanna Cassidy as Erin Randall
In short, a con-man, Frank, sets his sights on a woman with obsessive behavior traits, Alma, who turns Frank's emotional tables by becoming obsessed with him. Alma's need for Frank's affection is so great she willingly takes part in his con games perpetrated on other women. Enter a rather statuesque private detective, Erin, who goes above and beyond the call of duty to "save" Alma before the con-man gets caught by authorities. And because this is a dramatic thriller, obviously, it has some requisite transformation of characters.
A slowly weeping, eerily lilting violin set the mood for me; I got hooked to the music and couldn't turn the channel. On the other hand, I really can't begrudge the other users their gripes; I had to tolerate some things to get the goods from the rest of the movie. And I found myself occasionally turning to do other things while listening from a distance. But I did eyeball most of it, and I can honestly say Eric Roberts looks positively delicious when wet.
Having seen a movie just yesterday with amateurish acting, I have to say all the acting in "Lonely Hearts" was first-rate; nothing stood out as second-rate, and all the characters were believable. I thought the atmosphere was just this side of Hitchcockian, and none of the sets looked contrived.
My vote of 8 represents my "personal" feelings about the entertainment value compared to other movies I've seen. I do not pretend to know what is good for others. But I do recommend this movie as a light-weight crossover to anyone who likes dramas and/or thrillers.
