In a world starving for good, character driven, movies, Living out Loud came and passed by like
an ice cream truck that only carries vanilla.
Actually, I like vanilla. It is genuinely
satisfying, but when I know it would be better with chocolate sauce, caramel,
and sprinkles it is difficult to see vanilla as anything except plain. Living
out Loud is a solid character driven story that genuinely satisfies, but lacks
memorable enjoyment due to some poor story elements.
Judith
is freshly divorced and enjoying a hollow victory with half her ex-husband’s
money. She is upset because her
ex-husband has already found new love and she is trying to do the same. Pat is a middle aged man carrying a large
amount of debt. He works as a front door
clerk in Judith’s building. The two
characters eventually meet up and develop a friendship. Although they never develop a romantic
relationship, they are able to help each other with the conflicts that linger.
The
ending to this movie is not what is considered a “Hollywood” ending. It is open ended, but the characters have
undergone enough change to make it acceptable.
I like the idea of leaving an ending open, but Living out Loud did not offer enough satisfaction. At the climax of the story, Judith confronts
her ex-husband and finally tells him off aggressively. This felt satisfying, but the feeling was
squandered when her ex-husband threatened an assault charge in exchange for her
money. Then, Pat offers one last chance
to be with Judith. She realizes a
romantic relationship is not necessary and rejects him. This resolution was satisfying because it
showed character growth. This growth was
squandered at the very end when Judith had one last fantasy about being with
Pat after she saw his success. To summarize
the character, Judith fantasized about what she wants in life; she learned to “live
out loud,” and then went back to fantasizing in the end. Even though Judith changed so much, it was a
bummer to see her revert back to the fantasy.
The
characters were strong, but not strong enough to make a lasting
impression. I wish Judith and Pat would
have made bigger decisions throughout the movie. In the beginning, Judith was desperately
seeking romance. Her prayers are
answered when she is grabbed and kissed by a stranger. She finally opens up about her feelings, but
I expected to see more than a kiss and a polite conversation. All of Pat’s conflicts were resolved too
easily. His gambling problem disappeared
after the first act. His debt problem
disappeared in the second act, and his business idea went off without a
hitch. When he was ultimately rejected
by Judith, it did not seem to affect his plan.
This criticism is not to say the movie is all bad. Judith did enough acting out to show a change
of character; like a visit to a lesbian bar.
A
well-crafted, character driven story has the ability to leave an ever-lasting
impression. Casablanca shows us that a movie ending can be bittersweet and open
ended, but every bit just as satisfying.
Like ice cream, movies come in a variety of flavors; whereas Casablanca would be a full sundae, Living out Loud is just plain vanilla.
Terry, this is a really even-handed pan of the film, which, as we talked about in class, is really a hard row to hoe. I wonder, though, if it isn't sort of the point of the film that life is shaped by a lot of mundane moments that don't generally go the way the usually do in movies? But maybe that point just makes for boring viewing despite its insights. My one big suggestion here is that you see if you can't make your argument stick without giving away so many plot points--especially the later ones--though in this case pretty much all your readers will have seen the film. Still, I feel like this post shows you getting increasingly comfortable with the form and trying out some stylistic tricks (like your ice cream metaphor) as well.
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