Book Of Love (2004): Simon Baker, Frances O'Connor, Gregory Smith, Joanna Adler, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sabrina Grdevich, Beth MacDonald, Ari Graynor, Brett Tabor, Van Hughes, C.J. Aker, Michael Justice, Stephen Pollak, E.J. Scott..... Director Alan Brown, Screenplay Alan Brown.
"The book of love is long and boring, and written very long ago. It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes and things we're all too young to know".........
This little independent film, from director Alan Brown, explores the nature of a particular menage-a-trois relationship, or love triangle. Because the film is rather tame, slow and artsy, it falls under the category of independent film, perhaps even one that circulated in film festivals. It stars Simon Baker and Frances O'Connor as a married couple, both of them teachers, who welcome a young student(Gregory Smith) into their circle. David Walker (Baker) is a charismatic history teacher in a private school in the East Coast. He is happily married to Elaine (O'Connor) and they have opted not to have children and raise a family so that they can enjoy each other and the various projects they undertake, most of them being charitable deeds, educating the young in different parts of the world and so forth. When Chet (Smith) becomes a friend of these two, he gradually falls for Elaine and loses his virginity to her. This is what I think this film is all about - the loss of innocence and coming of age. It's surprising to see how the adults, too, are "discovering" themselves. After Elaine confesses to her husband that she and Chet have had a sexual encounter, he forgives her and even forgives Chet. They remain friends and in a bizarre way, it becomes like a sort of threesome/menage a trois (without the sex). But when Elaine mistakenly believes that Chet and her husband are having a homosexual affair of their own, she cannot cope or accept it. This leads to issues of mistrust, misunderstanding and the fact that these two have really had a fragile marriage to begin with. The mood of this film then takes on a more tragic tone, but that's the beauty of this film. It's very art-house, very modern and very engaging. If you can sit through a film like this, which requires a lot of dialogue, then you'll know that films like this are for you.It's a film about love and the complicated nature of relationships. If the actors had done a lousy job, the film would not have had any real poignancy, but considering the talented cast, the film becomes a really thought-provoking and dramatic vehicle. Great music, cinematography, good performances by the acting, a fine script and an interesting look at friendship, sex and experience.
"The book of love is long and boring, and written very long ago. It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes and things we're all too young to know".........
This little independent film, from director Alan Brown, explores the nature of a particular menage-a-trois relationship, or love triangle. Because the film is rather tame, slow and artsy, it falls under the category of independent film, perhaps even one that circulated in film festivals. It stars Simon Baker and Frances O'Connor as a married couple, both of them teachers, who welcome a young student(Gregory Smith) into their circle. David Walker (Baker) is a charismatic history teacher in a private school in the East Coast. He is happily married to Elaine (O'Connor) and they have opted not to have children and raise a family so that they can enjoy each other and the various projects they undertake, most of them being charitable deeds, educating the young in different parts of the world and so forth. When Chet (Smith) becomes a friend of these two, he gradually falls for Elaine and loses his virginity to her. This is what I think this film is all about - the loss of innocence and coming of age. It's surprising to see how the adults, too, are "discovering" themselves. After Elaine confesses to her husband that she and Chet have had a sexual encounter, he forgives her and even forgives Chet. They remain friends and in a bizarre way, it becomes like a sort of threesome/menage a trois (without the sex). But when Elaine mistakenly believes that Chet and her husband are having a homosexual affair of their own, she cannot cope or accept it. This leads to issues of mistrust, misunderstanding and the fact that these two have really had a fragile marriage to begin with. The mood of this film then takes on a more tragic tone, but that's the beauty of this film. It's very art-house, very modern and very engaging. If you can sit through a film like this, which requires a lot of dialogue, then you'll know that films like this are for you.It's a film about love and the complicated nature of relationships. If the actors had done a lousy job, the film would not have had any real poignancy, but considering the talented cast, the film becomes a really thought-provoking and dramatic vehicle. Great music, cinematography, good performances by the acting, a fine script and an interesting look at friendship, sex and experience.