Choose Me

Saw this when it came out. Still vivid in my mind I add another two cents to say its worth viewing again. Good writers, production and cast, Nice year for this fast movie, set the path, so to speak.

Saw this film on a whim and became entranced. The strange premise was intriguing and the plot twists continued to catch me off guard. The wistful longing for romance displayed by the lead actor will touch a cord with anyone who has desperately needed to be loved. And that is most of us, isn't it?

Found the acting superb across the board. The story was totally unpredictable. Twisted and weird yet it never exceeded my ability to believe.

Too bad only 300 people ever saw this film. I believe it is one of the most seriously underrated movies ever produced.

With atmosphere to spare. If you've never wandered LA's back-streets at night, this movie will give you a taste.

The theme of this movie is a common one, the search for love.

Highly stylized. Overloaded with delicious details and clever ideas. Characters with quirky (and intriguing) personality traits. What male viewer wouldn't want to be like the main protagonist, Keith Carradine's character? Fighter pilot, spy, expert mechanic. What female viewer wouldn't identify with either of the two lead female roles? Tough yet vulnerable, sexy, desirable, but unable to play the mating game and win.

All the characters are interconnected, but they don't always know it. The writer/director gets full marks for interesting characters and a story that twists and turns in on itself, but now comes the challenge of making it cohesive and comprehensible. That's where the movie doesn't hold up as well.

There is not enough "glue" between scenes. There are too many places where the plot takes a leap and the viewer is expected to fill in the gap. I found myself asking, "where did that come from?". I kept wanting to replay the previous scene because I had missed the transition, but there wasn't one.

I wish Rudolph had a collaborator with the screenplay and the directing. I feel the casting was very good, but the performances are often stilted, like what you might find in a high school production. Awkward pauses and intonations in the dialog. This also makes the story hard to follow and hard to believe. I can't decide if this was intentional or not. Reminds me of Hal Hartley.

This movie is not for everyone. Personally, I love it, warts and all. I've seen it three times and own the DVD. The Teddy Pendergrass songs are wonderful and I would say under-used in the film. Very surprised to see Maltin give this 3.5 stars, even if it is "a critics movie". He must have been in a good mood that day.

This film has always struck a special chord with me, although not all of the friends I've recommended it to over the years have liked it. I think you have to be a city person who's gone through some hard knocks in love to really embrace it. The scenes featuring Rae Dawn Chong aren't so special...(she's the weakest link)...but the scene where Bujold chats with Carradine after sex while getting dressed for work, the scenes with Dr. Love on the radio, the scene where Warren comes home from work to find that her roommate has stolen her boyfriend...these all have an immediate, bittersweet quality that's very haunting. Overall, the acting is flawless, and the whole film is an original. I only wish it were longer.

I love stories with overlapping characters. This is one of them and I really enjoyed it. Interesting and somewhat mysterious characters, some seemingly separate but unknowingly linked together in an intricate pattern. I always liked Lesley Anne Warren who, along with Keith Carradine, Genevieve Bujold, Rae Dawn Chong and an early John Larrouquette provide some good performances. If you're into character driven movies I think you'll like this one.