Director: Jim McBride
This is a remake of the landmark French film by Jean-Luc Godard of the same title, so expectations were quite low coming into this one. But to my surprise it was not horrible, it actually is an interesting translation of the French original to an American context. It captures much of the depth of the love story in the original and does includes its own pop cultural references like Silver Surfer and Jerry Lee Lewis. Richard Gere's performance is also quite good, though I cannot say the same for the female lead, who is frankly horrible.
It's in no way a great movie, and there are some laughable moments that are the epitome of 1980's cheese, but by the end this relationship at the center of the movie becomes fairly real and the love between the two characters feels as complicated as it should. It's not a subtle film in the slightest, everything about it is direct, and unlike the original there is nothing all that experimental or rebellious in the filmmaking to reflect the main character. While it's not the most wonderful film, it is one that takes you by surprise in its intertextuality and its genuine emotion.
Grade: B-
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