Denise Calls Up

Those guys are entirely at the beck and call of their machines in 1995

does not bode well for the future oh wait we know what the future loox like

but then it was new New Yorkers in their cells/pods/boudoirs having affairs setting up meetings that never take place in the real world deep deep alieNATION very very sad state of affairs

and yes there are amusing bits and pieces some ace actors but dear do we want to live there NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

never not even one day .... around the same time or a bit later there was something called cocooning but at least they were couples not lifers working for the man far too many hours and only connected through modems fax machines conference calls

i wonder if this was just an insane phase; would be nice to know what happened 20 years hence would it not? :) :)

Having just finished watching Denise calls up (my 2nd time for this one since it was released) ... I feel it is an excellent comedy that everyone can relate to.

Having lots of friends but never enough time to actually meet them, get together.

Making plans but always cancelling at the last minute for some obscure reason ... this is something most people can relate to.

I was impressed again by the performances of all of the actors which are excellent. Especially the actress who plays Barbara which I think was giving a wonderful and believable performance.

Definitely the best performance of the movie in my mind.

Some funny moments, some sad ones ... this one is a little rollercoaster ride that is quite pleasant to watch ...

Rating : 3.5/5

A group of New Yorkers just have contact through telephone, fax and Internet. The conversation among them are only through telephone. The foods are ordered by telephone. Even sex is made by telephone. They are not able to go to the funeral of a common friend, or to join in a restaurant, or even to open the door for the others in a party. A creative critic to the individualism and solitude of the contemporary human beings. The difficulties of having a relationship and interact with another persons is presented in this acid comedy. A great work of edition, in a movie not indicated for all tastes. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): `Denise Está Chamando' (`Denise Is Calling')

Frank (Tim Daly) and his girlfriend, Gail, broke up five years ago but still stay in touch on the phone. It is Gail's idea to fix up her friend, Barbara with Frank's friend (Liev Schreiber). Yet, when Gail gives Barbara the man's telephone number, they get disconnected quite a few times. Once they start talking, however, their conversations definitely "heat up". Meanwhile, another friend gives a party for everyone but no one shows up. That's because everyone in this small circle of friends is agoraphobic! They work at their apartments, mostly, and they stay in touch via Ma Bell everyday. Another friend, Martin, gets a mysterious call one day from a lady named Denny. It seems she's pregnant with Martin's child, from a "donation" he gave to the local sperm bank. She calls quite often to give Martin an update. Meanwhile, one of the friends suffers a life-changing event because of a mobile phone. Will anyone of these folks ever see each other in real life? This is a highly unusual but very entertaining film. It is told almost exclusively in telephone conversations between the parties. If this sounds boring, I assure you, it is not! All of the actors are terrific and give their characters a nice depth, despite the film's premise. The usual amenities, the costumes, the sets, and the production values, are fine, also. But, most of all, the script is a winner, with great lines and originality. If you are a film fan who never plays it safe, you will thoroughly enjoy this movie. So, even if you are an agoraphobic yourself, don't miss out on this one! Send someone to the video store, if you have to, to get this film into your hands. You will be darn glad you did.

Sure, everyone has this sort of relationship, more phone call than interaction, but ain't it a shame... These are some of the most alienated, dysfunctional people I have ever seen. They're so detached they can't get up and answer the doorbell for a party they're hosting. Or even go to a friend's funeral. This is fabulous ensemble acting, a fact made the more rionic because none of these people actually encounter each other physically. (Of course, writing this commentary on a computer and transmitting it via modem is even more ironic.