Unconditional Love [HD]

"Why do birds suddenly appear?"
I was trapped!!! I was over at my Mother's house and at the last moment, in a state of absolute resignation, I agreed to watch this movie. Before I came over I heard her relay the brief synopsis of the film over the phone and I was expecting a ridiculous yarn filled with ridiculous characters. It has all that, but it is more often than not surprisingly entertaining. Kathy Bates is the brightest star here and she portrays her "homemaker" character with great subtelty and depth, making her instantly likeable. Rupert Everett shows up about a third of the way into the film and is just one of the many character actors in this film that shine upon arrival. The major flaws appear when the viewer starts thinking too much. In fact, sometimes thinking at all will ruin a scene. For instance(s), there are some great moments when characters break out in song. Even though the scene calls for singing to occur it is still very refreshing amid all the crazy and far-fetched plotting circling...

CANT SMILE WITHOUT YOU
What can one say about a movie that features Julie Andrews singing GETTING TO KNOW YOU on a turbulent-ridden plane AND at the funeral of a worldwide singing sensation? AND Barry Manilow joining the cast for the finale's showstopper? It may all seem mushy, maudlin and over the top, and it is! But this little gem is a delightfully entertaining movie, full of smashingly good performances. Oscar winner Kathy Bates shines as Grace Beasley, a housewife with a dream of becoming a singer, a husband who leaves her after 25 years and a trip to England for the funeral of her murdered singing idol, Victor Fox. Bates hits all the right notes and is utterly charming.
Rupert Everett as the singer's unknown lover is at first all brutish and loutish, but once we learn a little more about him, he becomes the film's ironic hero. Everett is very good in this role.
Dan Aykroyd plays Bates' husband with all the timidity and self-serving bravado that explains the lack of adventure in their...

Unconditional Love for This Movie
A common housewife seeks adventure after her husband leaves her. A Dead Pops stars gay lover seeks recogniton after his death. An unlikely trio stalks a serial killer. It may sound like three seperate movies, but P.J. Hogan's (Muriel's Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding) Unconditional Love is a wonderful mish-mash of a movie that kept me howling.

Not everyone will love this movie. In fact, some will downright hate it, but I loved it. It received no theatrical release in the US (except for the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian film festival) and isn't set for DVD release until October, but the Starz Cable Movie network is now showing it, and boy am I glad. Not everything works in the film. The plots don't always gel, and you spend quite a bit of time trying to make sense of it all. Hogan is a bit self-indulgent, but if you trust him, and let go of your conventional idea of what a good movie should be, you'll have a hell of a lot of fun.

Bates is fantastic as a put-upon house wife...

Click to Editorial Reviews