No Looking Back

This is the second movie I saw, written and directed by Edward Burns. The first I saw was "Sidewalks of New York" and I really enjoyed watching that movie. "No Looking Back" was unfortunately not as good as "Sidewalks of New York", but I still enjoyed watching the movie. The acting was good and I specially enjoyed Jon Bon Jovi, he was great. But I have one little remark: maybe Ed and Jon should have switched parts because Jon has more the look to play the rebel instead of Ed. But that's just a little remark.

I highly enjoy Ed Burns' movies. He is capable of making the perfect indies and I think he definitely have to continue making these kind of movies. His style is perfect and the way he tries to tell these stories is perfect as well! Keep up the good work, Ed! I'm really looking forward to see some of your other work!

7/10

I watched this movie just recently (had video-recorded it from the TV). Very solid performances of all the actors and I was pleasantly surprised by Jon Bon Jovi. In my view, Edward Burns has given us better performances than this one, although no complaints. Blythe Danner, even though her role is short, is intense and completely into it as always. The setting, a small coastal town, was great and perfectly reflected the mood of the entire movie. As to the soundtrack: superb! But where can I get a hold of it?! The recording I have did not show the credits all the way to the end and I would especially like to know which female singer performs at least two of the songs. Springsteen is, of course, recognizable.

It's always refreshing to see movies that deal with ordinary people and their lives. Burns has made it his "thing" to create normal, fragile characters who live very ordinary lives and, in this film at least, are sad and disappointed over how mundane and uneventful their existence is. Burns taps into this genre quite well but here, unlike his excellent debut The Brothers McMullen, his characters aren't as interesting or well defined.

Lauren Holly plays a waitress who seems to be bored out of her mind, living with blue collar mechanic Bon Jovi. Her old sweetheart (who completely broke her heart) Burns returns and promises her a better life if she will pack up and go with him.

Holly gives an excellent performance in the lead role. She's the best written character as well, and you feel for her and root for her. Other characters aren't as well defined and are fairly one-dimensional and uninteresting, especially Burn's character. The film moves along very slowly and, aside from one scene involving Bon Jovi, avoids any real emotional outbursts. It's very subdued and could have used some form of life injected to it.

Cast is mostly excellent. Holly is terrific, Burns good as usual but most unexpected; Bon Jovi is actually quite effective as Holly's unfortunate boyfriend.

Praise goes also to the excellent music score. There's not one but three Springsteen songs and in my books that indicates some good musical taste.

(I must first preface this review by admitting that I am from a northeastern town similar).

After reading some of the reviews here and seeing the movie recently on IFC, I feel that this movie is a little misunderstood.

First of all, this movie was not made for everyone. By that I mean that Edward Burns is speaking to a specific segment here. This is a story of everyday life in a working class small Northeastern town. He recreates the ENTIRE environment: groups of people that graduated highschool together and never left, the gossip, the one and only social hangout, all the intrigue and interconnected people, the way they talk and interact with each other, and even the music they like to listen to (there are a couple Bruce Springsteen songs mixed into the soundtrack).

After creating this dead on environment, he tells the story. This is where a lot of people here have had problems. Burns shows the monotony of everyday life in this town. I mean, he ACTUALLY shows it on camera: people going to their jobs, talking about mundane stuff, etc. Things that other directors would have merely mentioned through dialogue or other means.

This is done for a reason: Burns is trying to put you in this town. As if you are one of those who has been trapped here. He makes an attempt to show you these things so that you'll understand the character's desires to leave.

And if you've spent any time in one of these towns, you will understand EXACTLY what he is trying to say. Sorry to say, it's a sort realistic movie. The characters are imperfect, they do dumb things. The awkwardly and badly tell lies to each other. They like normal people.

Other than that, I could have done without Bon Jovi. He showed no range of emotions (if my girlfriend stayed out with another guy until 5 a.m., I would think my voice would show a little more inflection at least).

Anyway, if you are from this area and want to "go home again", rent this movie. If you aren't and want to see what it's like, see this movie.

If you liked any major blockbuster this year, pass.

This predictable film will not add anything to Edward Burns' resume. In fact, "No Looking Back", his third directorial effort, has a flat feeling to it, in spite of the people involved with the project. No one decides to go into a losing project, but it appears Mr. Burns was not sufficiently inspired with this tale of a working class situation.

From the beginning, with the arrival of Charlie back home to the small town by the sea, and his encounter with Claudia, the young woman who had stayed behind, we realize where this tale is going. Claudia, who is now involved with Michael, still hasn't been able to forget the man who must have been the love of her life.

The surprise in the film is Jon Bon Jovi in a dramatic role. He plays the kind Michael, who as much as he tries, can't compete against Charlie for the love of Claudia. Mr. Burns, directing himself, should have given the job to another actor because he doesn't appear to be objective in how to play his character. Lauren Holly tries, but her Claudia is, at times, irritating. Blythe Danner also appears as Claudia's mother.

The best thing going for "No Looking Back" is the great soundtrack heard throughout the movie.