Veteran screenwriter and director Robert Benton has enjoyed a distinguished career. He won a directing Oscar for 'Kramer vs. Kramer" and was responsible for writing 'Bonnie and Clyde". He is now at the helm for 'Feast of Love".
Based on Charles Baxter’s best selling novel of the same name, this romantic comedy with a heavy dose of drama explores love in all its forms.
The film’s narrator Harry is a local college professor who is acutely aware of love and attraction starting and ending all around him. We meet the unlucky-in-love Bradley, who is dumped by his wife Kathryn for another woman. He then meets the icy Diana who is herself conducting an illicit affair with a married man"¦ And into this mix add the breathless-young-love of Chloe and Oscar and the older-wiser-love shared between Harry and his wife Esther.
The novel inspired the producers of 'Million Dollar Baby" to adapt it for the screen. They then convinced Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear and Radha Mitchell to lend their talents.
Unfortunately the film itself is a disappointment. Allison Burnett’s awkward screenplay does the novel a disservice. It is clichéd and over written with a lot of unnecessary exposition.
Characters and situations don’t ring true and I wasn’t overly convinced with the casting of Freeman as Harry. He has such a familiar voice that using him to narrate can be a disadvantage.
One of the highlights though is the performance from newcomer Alexa Davalos, she is terrific and definitely one to watch.
Robert Benton’s direction was uninspired. From such a successful film director and strong cast I expected more. Maybe this was due to the script, but it all felt a bit too twee and perhaps better suited to TV.
There are some sweet moments and the film does get stronger towards the end but it just took a too long to get there. 2.5 stars.
