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Desperate for Love

  • TV Movie
  • 1989
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
340
YOUR RATING
Desperate for Love (1989)
DramaRomance

The story of murder among a trio of teenagers after a boy breaks up with a girl and she runs into the arms of his vulnerable best friend.The story of murder among a trio of teenagers after a boy breaks up with a girl and she runs into the arms of his vulnerable best friend.The story of murder among a trio of teenagers after a boy breaks up with a girl and she runs into the arms of his vulnerable best friend.

  • Director
    • Michael Tuchner
  • Writer
    • Judith Paige Mitchell
  • Stars
    • Christian Slater
    • Tammy Lauren
    • Brian Bloom
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.0/10
    340
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Michael Tuchner
    • Writer
      • Judith Paige Mitchell
    • Stars
      • Christian Slater
      • Tammy Lauren
      • Brian Bloom
    • 16User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos1

    View Poster

    Top cast24

    Edit
    Christian Slater
    Christian Slater
    • Cliff Petrie
    Tammy Lauren
    Tammy Lauren
    • Lily Becker
    Brian Bloom
    Brian Bloom
    • Alex Cutler
    Veronica Cartwright
    Veronica Cartwright
    • Betty Petrie
    Scott Paulin
    Scott Paulin
    • Merl Becker
    Arthur Rosenberg
    Arthur Rosenberg
    • Buck Cameron
    Amy O'Neill
    Amy O'Neill
    • Cindy
    Lulee Fisher
    • Sue Becker
    Michael Flynn
    Michael Flynn
    • Ed Cutler
    Billy Vera
    • Bennett Gates
    David Dwyer
    David Dwyer
    • Deke
    Rebecca Wackler
    Rebecca Wackler
    • Margaret
    Peter Thomasson
    • Lambert
    Keith Noble
    • Randy
    Benji Wilhoite
    • Darryl
    Mary Lynn Owen
    Mary Lynn Owen
    • Carla
    Ted Manson
    Ted Manson
    • Judge
    Mark Bailey
    Mark Bailey
    • TV Host
    • Director
      • Michael Tuchner
    • Writer
      • Judith Paige Mitchell
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    5.0340
    1
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    10

    Featured reviews

    adavis8319

    An emotional thriller.

    Desperate for love is the emotional thriller that will force the viewer to question every loyalty they have ever had in life. While the cover for this movie claims that Cliff Petrie was "desperate for love" I personally believe that the true desperation was held within Lily Becker. Cliff Petrie gives us one simple example of pure, unadulterated love. Meanwhile Lilly Becker clearly displays fear, depression, and anxiety along with a cunning and seductive deception.
    1mattymatt4ever

    If you watch this movie, you have to be desperate!!!

    Christian Slater is Number 10 on my list of favorite actors, so I bet you're anticipating a splendid review of this movie. Not!! First of all, it's a TV movie--which I didn't know before watching it--and I'm not part of the "Lifetime Movie of the Week" crowd. I hardly consider anything that goes direct to network television (this excludes movies that goes direct to premium cable stations) actual "movies." So this was a supreme cheese-fest for me. Why it grabbed a 5.2 rating, which is high for a movie of this sort, is beyond comprehension. This is one of those movies you have to go rooting for in the 99-cent bin, and please realize there's a logical reasons why those movies are priced 99 cents! And may I add, the girl who plays Slater's love interest--I think her name's Tammy Lauren--is NOT an attractive woman! He'd HAVE to be desperate if he wants to get with that girl.

    My advice to all those who appraise Christian Slater--DON'T GET SUCKED IN!!! Use that 99 cents you're about to spend on this movie to add to the ten or so bucks you're about to spend on "Very Bad Things" or "Untamed Heart."

    Not Christian's best work.

    My score: 1 (out of 10)
    Intrigue-2

    Amazing performances

    I am not a very big watcher of the Lifetime network, but the other night I caught this movie on and was instantly hooked. I was born in a town very similar to the one in which the characters are engulfed and I found the performances and direction to be frighteningly accurate. I had never heard of this movie and I was so impressed that Christian Slater could give such a believable performance. I moved to Los Angeles California after high school and now I live in Washington, D.C. I studied film and theatre so I lost my small southern town dialect, but movies that can truly capture the essence of the the lifestyle that these people must endure never fails to amaze me. I do not see it very often is a film, but "Desperate for Love" accomplished it magnificently.
    2bkoganbing

    Getting Out of That Backwater

    Christian Slater and Brian Bloom are a couple of best southern high school buds. But cheerleader Tammy Lauren gets between the two of them as if background getting between wouldn't be enough.

    Brian's the high school rich kid who's the star football player and of course gets all the girls in high school. Christian is the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, he's the kind who will join the army just to get out of the place he is. In fact if it wasn't for Tammy deciding that marriage was the way to get out of that backwater town they all come from, it's probably what Slater would have done.

    Brian goes missing and later Christian's arrested for the crime.

    Both of these two are a couple of New York metropolitan area kids and they sound it. Even actual location shooting can't cover up their New York speech pattern though they both valiantly attempt to sound like they're from Georgia.

    Even giving allowances that this is a made for TV movie, it's still a pretty bad film. Christian Slater's career was just getting going at this time on the big screen, how they talked him into this is a mystery.

    He should have done something to get out of doing this film.
    9bitterwine23

    sad but true

    Considering this movie was made in 1989 and was made for tv as it relates a true story, I thought it was very touching in the sense that it just gets to you to see how much someone can love someone else and that this last one cannot even realize it. Even worse, Lily didn't take that love seriously because she wast lost in her own little fantasy romance...

    Best Emmys Moments

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Actors Scott Paulin and Christian Slater also acted along side each other in 1990's Pump Up the Volume. They played father and son respectively.
    • Goofs
      As Cliff gets out of bed to answer Lily's late-night phone call, the boom mic can be seen moving closer to the doorway.
    • Soundtracks
      DESPERATE FRAME OF MIND
      Written by Billy Vera & Chip Taylor

      Produced by Billy Vera

      Published by Vera Cruz Music & Back Road Music

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 17, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Aus Liebe und Verzweiflung
    • Filming locations
      • Georgia, USA
    • Production companies
      • Lorimar Television
      • Vishudda Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 33m(93 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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