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What could have been an amusing concept is ruined by the anachronistic, techno-70's songs that yank the viewer/listener straight from 1936 to 1976. Alan Parker keeps things generally under control, and there are some effective child performers. Luminous Jodie Foster has undeniable charisma and makes the most of her role--but, again, the music was truly abysmal. Composer/Lyricist Paul Williams was an enormously successful musician in the mid-70's. The choice of having Williams also singing many of the tunes himself was a major misfire. The film is certainly a curio--and, perhaps, children might find it more enjoyable than discerning adults.

This travesty is going to age like yesterday's horoscope, when Sad Affleck inevitably dumps this monster. She couldn't have made herself less appealing if she tried. If nothing else, in the five or so minutes in which he appears, anyone who wonders why he (allegedly) bought a camper to sleep in, rather than share the $60 million Bel-Air mansion with this insufferable gorgon now knows why. There is nothing "great" about a love story, where one of the lovers shares their partner's intimate love letters with the world, without their permission. More like, "THE MOST GRATING LOVE STORY THAT NEVER SOLD"--since she ended up financing this BOMB with her own dough,

I loved this film and it has "stayed with me" since I first saw it in 2007. If anything, it's even more poignant in light of how its centerpiece character met his ultimate fate. I admire how the filmmakers didn't patronize or make fun of their subjects. Christopher Lloyd Dennis, a genuine oddball, is portrayed in a straight-forward, non-judgmental way, and is actually quite likeable. The film's ancillary characters, most especially the Texas Batman impersonator, certainly less-so. At one point, he even seemingly confesses to have committed a murder. All in all, a well-crafted film and a fairly unfiltered window into an otherwise unknown world.