Love in the Time of Money (2002)
I was unimpressed the first time,
when it was called "Chain of Desire."
Like "Slacker," with sex, "Love
in the Time of Money" is one of those films that starts
with a sexual coupling. Then one of the characters
goes off and has sex with someone else. Then we follow
the person he had sex with and, after we follow her
for a while, she has sex with... And so on and so
on until the film meets back at it's beginning. It's
all been done before.
If there's any reason to see the
film, it's Steve Buscemi. Luckily, his anarchist artist
appears fairly early in the film, so you can pretty
much leave after that. Well, accept that Carol Kane
appears in the film later and she's pretty good too.
You know, the problem is that the set-up with Buscemi
and Kane entering the story is pretty interesting,
but when the plot turns and they hook up with someone
new, it's nowhere as interesting as the initial set-up.
Kane's second "coupling's" plotline is pretty typical
and uninteresting. At least when her paramour from
the segment hooks-up with a hooker, who we saw in
the first segment of the film, we know the damn thing
has run it's "full circle" course and will be over
soon.
It's too bad too, because there
is some really good talent in this film. Adrian Grenier,
who was in a film that I've always wanted to see called
"The Adventures of Sebastian Cole" and who was in
John Waters' "Cecil B. DeMented," which I did see,
is really nice to watch. His scene with Kane is stunning
and compelling, a sort of modern day reworking of
"Harold and Maude." But, like this entire film, it
decides to stop it's forward momentum just when it
gets to the point and instead it goes nowhere. It's
ridiculous. None of these stories make sense or provide
any real insight into love or money or love in the
time of money. It gets rather drab rather quickly
and anytime it begins to gain momentum, writer/director
Peter Matteri does something to bring the film to
a grinding halt. It gets annoying.
Note:
Also with Malcolm Gets (TV's "Caroline
in the City"), Vera Farminga, Jill Hennessey, Rosario
Dawson, and Michael Imperioli.
Also known as "The End of Love"
and "Nine Scenes about Love." Matteri used to write
for TV's "Clarrisa Explains It All." (I'd bet she
couldn't explain this one).
