User reviews

The young couple Elaine Walker (Frances O'Connor) and the history teacher David Walker (Simon Baker) meets a fifteen years old lonely teenager Chet Becker (Gregory Smith) in an ice-cream shop and they become friends. David has a crush on Elaine and they have one night stand. Elaine tells her infidelity to David, and their life is affected by the affair.

When I saw the very low IMDb rating of "Book of Love", I questioned whether it would be worthwhile watching this movie. Fortunately I decided to see it, since it is a good romance, with some eroticism and a simple story, but a great and credible conclusion. I regret only the thirty-one minutes of trailers in the beginning of the VHS released in Brazil by California Filmes, probably a shameful worldwide record. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Traição" ("Betrayal")

A young married couple befriends a lonely teenage boy in an ice cream shop. As the friendship blossoms, romantic feelings develop between the wife and the boy. It's a provocative story with contemporary relevance. Withy a backdrop of New Age philosophy "Book Of Love" explores the impact of this unsettling romance on the three individuals.

The acting of the three leads is fine. But the screenplay is thin. Even with a runtime of just 83 minutes, there's just not that much substance. Director Alan Brown tries to draw a parallel between the wife's mistakes in judgment and the mistakes of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, a parallel that seems contrived at best. Further, the wife's involvement with the boy lacks a motivational basis, given her current marriage. And her behavior seems way too casual to be credible.

Nominated for an award at the Sundance Film Festival, "Book Of Love" at least tries to do something daring. It is low-key, and not at all exploitative. The background music is interesting. And, as a low budget film, the production values are credible. On the other hand, the script probably does not have enough conflict or plot complication to engage most viewers. The story seems too direct and too linear to be compelling.

I was certainly surprised to see that so many IMDb reviews had given high ratings for this film. Personally, aside from the effectiveness of the feeling you get as you become involved with the characters (see below), I thought that the characters themselves were either annoying or completely stupid and that the movie itself, overall, lacked any novelty and really enough substance that, at least for me, would have me holding it in such high regard.

'Book of Love,' if nothing else certainly brings out the awkwardness of a couple distraught by one's extramarital affair (even if only brief). Do they just pretend nothing happened? Or, even if they try to deal with the situation, there is always that little reminder in the back of their heads that this person has slept with someone else...can they really be trusted anymore? 'Book of Love' at least does this much effectively, allowing us the vicarious uneasy feeling that at least the married couple seem to endure after the affairs is made known. As for everything else, however, the situation is neither knew and there is relatively little substance to deal with (which may explain why we stroll through scenes habitual nonsense like those of Simon Baker urinating or some moments with Gregory Smith).

This is the story of a young couple (Frances O'Connor and Simon Baker) who befriend a fifteen-year old kid from the neighborhood (Gregory Smith). The story is simple: the wife, not at all seductive in the way we may picture a voluptuous Mrs. Robinson type, has an affair with the boy. There is relatively little to suggest that there was any kind of rift between O'Conner and Baker's character from the beginning, so what reason she may have for submitting to the boy (other than oddly being aroused by his skinny body one afternoon in the ice cream shop), she has an affair with him. She later admits this to her husband and the rest of the movie is the three of these people trying to restore things to some kind of normalcy that existed before the mess happened.

But, there is too much unbelievability and not enough sound reason, for the affair to have happened in the first place. Was she just bored? Stupid? And really, what the hell did she think was going to happen when she told her husband? And, why was Gregory Smith's character all of a sudden aware that he'd done something wrong only when the wife tells him that she confessed to her husband? How idiotic.

And then, in that sort of 'Dreamers' or 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' way, to throw this story into a parallel with bits of history about the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia (Baker's character is a history teacher at an all-girls school).

Nonetheless, the rest of the film is these three characters existing in a very strange relationship, probably with Baker's being the most permanently removed, Gregory Smith being the one to pretend that nothing happened and that everything will probably be okay (or at least have the presence of such), while the wife seems to be mad at the husband for forcing the three of them together again and throwing it in her face.

There isn't a whole lot there. None of the characters are all that interesting and in the end, I came away from it with an almost indifference for the story and characters. What's the big deal? And yet, while some did criticize this film as being the worst that Sundance had to offer that year (I would agree), many did praise it. To my fellow IMDb reviewers: it is not sacrilegious to admit that an Indie film (even one from Sundance) is not great. Not even good. This one included.

First things first. So far this film has about an average vote of 3.5/10 stars on IMDb, which I think is kind of surprising, because it's not that bad. I expected about a 5 or 6 rating. Yes, it's muddled and kind of pointless at times, and the ending is pretentiously ambiguous. But as a character study -- despite it's flaws -- it is a rather effective one that manages to explore the love triangle between two older people and a younger teenager.

The movie's casual treatment of sexuality involving adults and a 15-year-old is kind of disturbing at first, but kudos to Alan Brown (director and writer) for getting away with it. He handles it right - it never nears exploitation - and as a result the story doesn't seem cheap and tacky like "Intimacy." However my problems lie with the script itself. It's got too many repetitive moments and some scenes are kind of wandering and make you say, "Huh?" The performances are alright. The only actor I recognized in the cast was Gregory Smith ("Small Soldiers"), playing a fifteen-year-old, which is kind of silly because he looks about 20 (at the least). I suppose they had problems with younger casting because of the love scenes between the leads.

Essentially the story centers around three people in a small town - a 30-something high school teacher, his wife, and a local kid - and how their friendship soon turns into something else. The kid has an affair with the wife, the husband finds out, and hatred forms.

It's an interesting movie because it's daring and different, but it has its flaws - a stronger script, better cast and more responsible and experienced director would result in a much better picture.

I saw this film at Sundance and came away thinking that this is one of the most amateurish, joyless films I have seen in years. I actually enjoyed the set up and was hoping that there were be more humor injected into film. But then I realized that only the love scenes are laughable. Ms O'Connor is given an interesting role and is a breath of fresh air in the film. Acting is competent if perfunctory. Hopefully director will go back to doing plays.

This is another poor concept indie film with songs that distract tossed in. Songs with untalented voices. The film's style gets in its own way. Each scene is way too long. This is the result of a cheap and in-experienced director who is afraid to do editing. Almost every scene needs 1/3 to 1/2 of it cut out. This is not a genre, this is simply bad film-making. Total over use of songs, that makes you reach for the fast-forward button. The story comes across like a half-baked 5 minute short film, with no real ending to it. Instead of focusing on the story line first and make it great, it was simply made longer and the result is very boring. When John Cleese talks about writing the great 1/2 hour Fawlty Towers, he and co-writer Connie Booth spent six week writing each show. They spent 2-3 weeks on just one the plot. This film is totally absent of this kind of attention to deal, hoping that the audience will somehow be confused with the dragged out scenes thinking it is some sort of genre. You find yourself asking yourself what this story is to be about or if there even is a story. The characters, even the husband and wife barely bond together. The two women, they don't come across as a couple really either. When you take a bad story, bad music, bad direction, bad editing and the wrong casting, you end up with a film like this.

I liked the characters at first.

But then, sometime during the "night on the town" scene's syrupy music, I kept thinking the director must have been kidding. Most of that lightweight content should have ended up on the cutting-room floor. (Sigh, eject) Is there really an audience who likes the content spelled-out to that extent? Perhaps there is. I wish someone could have warned me not to hire this DVD. As a public service. I must admit I choose my films by the laurel-logos of "Academy Award" or "Nominated for best ...xxx", whereas I avoid testimonials like "Thumbs up" or "A rollicking tale." I now know that "Official Selection ..Sundance" is no guarantee of quality viewing. We live and learn.

I wondered if anyone knew who sang as well as the name of the song, at the conclusion of the film where she is spinning in the yoga room and he eats ice cream. It begins something along the lines of, no one's more happy than you even the sky is feeling blue... I tried looking it up but couldn't find it. The closest I came was Joy Division but I don't know.It is killing me!

I really liked it, I have seen it two and a half times and I just finished watching it on cable and really much prefer it now. I really enjoyed the undercurrents of the movie, although the main actress whose name escapes me, I found really annoying, not the character but her. The only part I liked of her was when she sang Book Of Love in the club, lovely voice, whether that was her or not.

Thank you

This movie was okay. The story line is just very far fetched. Basically, the movie is about a possibly newly married couple (this part is vague they keep referencing their Cambodian honeymoon)who befriend a teenage boy who lives in a dysfunctional home. Passions ensue between the young man and the wife and the story goes from there. Anyway, Frances O' Conner playing a 27, or excuse me just turned 28 year old is laughable. She is so clearly in her mid to late thirties. The characters lack any depth and you don't feel sorry for them or connect with them at any level. There is really no chemistry between any of the characters. Although Simon Baker is gorgeous to watch. If there are slim pick-ins' at the movie store you might want to pick up this flick.

who selects the movies for sundance?!! who funds these movies?!! i can't even begin to go into the story problems and the believability that an adult woman would be smitten enough with a 15 yr old over ice cream to f*** him! the story has no foundation so everything that happens after is meaningless...

it all begins in the writing and then it is up to the director to make a movie that makes us care. i didn't get to know these character's so i didn't care about them. what is the story? what do these people want? what is the theme here? or is this just another generation x'er attempt at something deep?

to all you young filmmaker's...go watch some bergman...some malle...some ...fellini...kurosiwa...some bertolucci, for Christ's sake if you are interested in writing and directing something provocative. go learn something first.

i give it 2 stars because in truth...i have seen worse. enough said.

i really enjoyed the Book of Love, it was filled with emotion and the directing was wonderful. i saw it at Sundance and felt the acting included some of the best performances that i saw there. Simon Baker's performance was outstanding and definitely deserves recognition. the movie was also humorous and the music was amazing!! Clem Snide adds a great touch to the soundtrack and the placement of the songs in the movie really highlight key moments. I also thought the Book of Love was much more impressive and compelling than the similarly themed movie, The Door in the Floor. the ending was a realistic and thought provoking choice that did justice to the intelligence of the rest of the movie. i definitely recommend this movie!

I saw this at a Slamdance Best Of screening in the East Village. I go to all their films there. This was an intelligent, quiet film with really great acting from all three leads. I liked it at first because it didn't try to push any messages or morals on me. Then I started to think about it afterward, and as time went by, it impressed me more and more. It seems to be about a lot of important things. It made me question how people behave and how I judge people. I hate to use the word 'haunting,' it sounds like a cliché, but the film did end up haunting me. I went out and rented other films with these actors (see Francis O'Conor in Mansfield Park!), and also found one by the director, a short called O Beautiful, which is also very good and (here I go again) 'haunting.' So, see if you have a chance.

I also saw the film at Sundance and cannot fathom that someone would have reacted against the well-made, dark, and deep film. It wasn't meant to be a comedy, but instead an introspective and moving look at three characters all on the edge of something. Baker, O'Connor, and Smith were all fantastic...probably the best work I've seen Baker do. It reminded me a lot of American Beauty - yes, the humor may have been a little more idiosyncratic and less laugh out loud, but I certainly smiled to myself throughout the film, both as I realized how attached I'd become to the characters and what a fine movie it was. The way Brown weaved the Cambodian backstory into the film, through Baker, Howard, and the overarching visual images, was also notable for its inspired creativity.

some of this movie confused me I admit, and sometimes it took me a while (a short while!) to catch up with it. By that I mean, there were things I didn't always figure out right away, and I would be thinking, why? or what? or when? --- BUT then I stopped worrying and just went with it, and sat back and enjoyed it. And THEN I just got completely engrossed by all the actors and actresses. And I believed all of them. I thought these were real people, and I was so emotionally attached to them and involved. And at times, emotionally devastated by what they did or what happened to them. So in the end, when I walked out of the movie theater (I saw this at Two Boots in the East Village), I was actually a bit shaken up and feel disquieted, if that is the right word. It is actually an upsetting movie, and I mean that as a compliment. I could see it again and would like to so I could think more about these people and what they did and why.

All three principal actors - Baker, O'Connor, and Smith, gave the strongest performances I've ever seen them give. Baker particularly should be a major star. He was heartbreaking in Book of Love. What I also liked was that the writer and director refused to judge his characters and their behavior. And that he trusted us, the audience, enough to let us make our own decisions. Unlike most Hollywood - and Sundance - movies, he refused to wrap things up neatly at the end for us. A strong, intelligent film. Highly recommended.

I'm in love with here. she's great in this (and wears a school girl uniform!), and so are all the other actors, like Greg Smith from Everwood, and the guardian guy, Simon Baker. So, the story really surprised me and sort of weirded me out in a good way (but I won't tell it here so as not to spoil it). But you should see it. It's completely engrossing and lots of strange twists and turns. and it's got the best music - magnetic fields and others. It was definitely an odd film, something i don't see everyday, and maybe if i'd seen a review (has this been in the theaters yet?), I would not have gone. but I'm very glad i saw it. Everyone in it is talented, and it was fun to watch. And listen to. definitely worth a look.

What is up with you people who don't like this film?

It's incredible and haunting and large. Titanic in space and gorgeously cultured with grief and intimacy. Our lives are a lot less happy and we have a lot less money since 9/11. Life kind of sucks to be honest. And we overcompensate by looking for 'entertainment' and 'satisfaction' in films and TV. Well, films have the ability to show us how fractured our modern lives are. They can help en-lighten us (lighten us up) through metaphor and intimacy.

Our lives are slow and boring most of the time. And good films are intimate and can clearly catalog the moments inbetween boredom and show how sad and gorgeous they can be.

Although I hated 'O Beautiful' and actually stood up and hissed in the theater when I saw it, I really think 'Book of Love' is a daring and beautiful film. This filmmaker taps into me with his choices in ethics and being powerless in a world that runs on igonorance of the first and worship of the second.

I don't go into the storyline or plot points because I don't think that would serve someone who is going to watch the film. Sorry but I'd rather you enjoy it the way I did. Cheers and good luck to all who read this.