Bed of Roses

When you cast Christian Slater in a part where he sends flowers to a complete stranger you never know what you're going get. It's not like he hasn't played off balance people before. And some might consider what he does to Mary Stuart Masterson as stalking.

But Slater and Masterson make a fetching romantic couple in Bed Of Roses as a pair of lonely people looking for something or someone to complete them as a line in another film done in late 90s said. Slater has never been this romantic before or since on the big screen. Parts like he had in Kuffs, Pump Up The Volume, and Heathers are more like what he's identified with.

Slater in fact was once in Masterson's world, he was a runner with Goldman&Sachs who lost a wife and child in childbirth. After that he just dropped out of it all and became a florist delivery man because flowers are beautiful and everyone is happy to see him when he delivers.

Masterson is in that world now, but all she has is work. She was a foundling who was left at the Pittsburgh airport and raised in a foster home with a man who drank considerably and its hinted he may have done other terrible things to her. She has no romantic illusions, she does have work though and the world of high finance demands her attention completely.

Bed Of Roses is a good, but not great film. It's lack of development of supporting characters is a big weakness. Still it's the definition of a star vehicle and the stars do shine in this one.

Lisa (Mary Stuart Masterson) is a rising businesswoman who rarely devotes herself to anything but work and more work. This is, in part, because of events that occurred during her childhood. She has a drop-in boyfriend who doesn't really spend any quality time with her but, Lisa is certain she likes it that way. That is, until the day a gorgeous bouquet of flowers is delivered to her at the office, without a card. Lisa calls friends and work colleagues to try to determine who sent her this gift. No luck. As a last resort, she goes to the florist and begs for information about the giver. She is stunned to learn that the delivery man, Lewis (Christian Slater) is her unknown fan. Lewis tells her about his interest in her and Lisa is cautious, of course. But, over the next few weeks, Lisa and Lewis become closer. Yet, something is wrong. What could it be? This is a quietly beautiful love story. Masterson is pretty and touching as the woman who doesn't know much about love and Slater is wonderful as the florist who learns to open up his heart again, too. The rest of the cast is nice and the script, costumes, sets and production values are very good. If you are drawn to stories of romance, this one should land on your must-see list. It is a bouquet of humor, heartache, and happy endings that will have you floating on air, smiling like crazy.

This movie definitely stands as one of the most romantic films I've ever seen! I loved the very basis on which the movie was based - presenting a bouquet of flowers is such a day to day affair but how beautifully this little ritual was transformed into a touching love story between two people who need soul mates. There's Lisa, the busy VP of a company, an orphan who has had an unhappy childhood with her foster father but whose death at the start of the movie leaves her with a deep sense of shock and loss and there's Lewis, a florist, living in his own floral world, with a huge family but someone who is no stranger to loss himself, having lost his wife. These two people from considerably different backgrounds are destined to meet and fall in love...

Christian Slater's character is every girl's living dream! Lewis as a man is perfect, make Chritian Slater play him and it seldom gets better than that! ;) This was the first movie with Mary Stuart Masterson that I saw and I was sold! The woman is excellent! I saw films like 'Fried Green Tomatoes' and 'Digging to China' later just for her! I don't agree with what one more viewer over here has written - that MSM is just not the kind of girl a guy like Christian Slater would fall for. Making Lisa too beautiful would have lessened the human-ness of her character I think... Lisa, that way, is moderate in all ways, beautiful in a class of her own, not the most romantic person and with a past which makes her a trifle cautious about love, since she herself has received it in grudging doses...

Analysis apart, see this movie for an hour and a half of "unadulterated" romance... With a beautiful music score(Scarlet's 'Independent love song', Sarah McLachlan's 'Ice Cream' and Michael Convertino's ethereal music!) I have the OST of this film and it's one of the best I've heard! The dialogues - "..nothing like a finicky agapanthus..", "..it must have been some mistake in the floral world.." - are quite witty! If not ANYthing, just watch to have a peek at Lewis's dream-like terrace "garden"! Sigh! If all guys had such gardens on their terraces, all the girls would be bowled over like Lisa is and the ozone layer for once wouldn't be depleting! ;) Those are highly unromantic thoughts to occur while writing about love and romance in full bloom (pun intended..!)

But all said and done, this film is definitely for the romantic at heart! Those who're not, are perhaps likely to dismiss it as rosy mush! I liked it because the film had substance. 'Bed of Roses' wouldn't fall into the Romantic Comedy genre, 'cos a comedy it certainly isn't. And thank god for that! There are unfortunately very few rom-coms that are mercifully devoid of the same formulaic dialogue, contrived plot-settings and characters...in fact most are disappointingly mediocre('Notting Hill' is one classic example...) 'Bed of Roses' is just a romantic movie - it doesn't have comedy elements that are inserted in films more often as ploys to rope in a wider audience than for the need of them in the story per se...anyone who dismisses 'Bed of Roses' because of its lack of comedy or because they think it's a "chick-flick" - too bad! You're missing out on a good film!

How can I even start. This movie is a true love story about bringing together two people so different from one another that under anything but the most unusual circumstances they would never even cross paths. And isn't that what we all want? A magic moment with someone that comes out of left field? Christian Slater is excellent as a shy but well meaning character who has nothing but the best intentions. His pain is easy to feel and his thoughts about the world are childlike, innocent, and so on target (We should all go to story hour sometime!) Mary Stuart Masterson is the picture of todays executive - hustling and bustling while never even giving thought to what she really wants deep inside. The two together are just the picture of how love should be. (The morning after scene is something I will always wish for in life and will never achieve)I honestly thought while watching this - if you could just run the credits after the morning after this would have been the perfect movie but into life a little rain must fall and so we have the second half. But even this I love because don't we all have those insecurities, that cowardice hiding deep inside?? Trust me - its worth a watch - everyone I know loves it and I have to fight to get the tape back when I loan it out!!

This is one of those films, like Only You (Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jnr.), that you catch by accident and are then surprised that it wasn't a bigger hit.

This film certainly had all the right ingredients, good Hollywood stars and good actors into the bargain, an everyday setting, and a completely believable storyline.

Its lack of success is probably down to the fact that both Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson were both better known for playing much more serious or action roles and this was quite a departure for them.

Where the film really falls down is the script, which any English student could probably have written without difficulty, but it is a credit to the two stars that such an endearing and enjoyable movie is rescued from it.

The script simply attempts too much, with both characters having troubled pasts when it comes to relationships and so it then comes as slightly unbelievable that Slater's character suddenly finds the courage to take the lead as he does.

Both the actors, though, give wonderful performances which really make you feel for their situation and involve you with their lives. This, mixed with some great comic moments from Pamela Segall make for a very enjoyable romantic comedy which doesn't lose its appeal with time.

A must see for all commitment phobics!