Addicted To Love
review by James S.
Rated R
Running Time: 99 minutes
Starring Meg Ryan, Matthew Broderick, Kelly
Preston
Studio: Warner Brothers
Directed by Griffin Dunne
Retail Price: $19.99
Features: Theatrical Trailer, Production Notes
Specs: 1.85:1 Widescreen, 4:3 Standard, Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround English, Dolby Digital Surround French,
English, French, and Spanish Captions, Chapter Search
Sam (Matthew Broderick) is hopelessly in love with
girlfriend Linda (Kelly Preston). When Linda doesn't come
back after a two-month development program in New York City,
Sam packs his bags to win back his girl. Unfortunately for
Sam, Linda has fallen for Anton, a Frenchmen on the rebound
from his ex Maggie (Meg Ryan). Sam takes up residence in an
abandoned building across from Anton's apartment in an
effort to chart the new couple's progress and predict a
potential breakup. Anton's ex Maggie simply wants revenge.
While Sam wants his girl back, Maggie wants nothing short of
torture for her ex. The two team up to break the couple up.
Their diabolical plans turn this romantic comedy into a
wonderful story of developing relationships.
Warner does a good job with the film transfer. Much of
the film utilizes a technique called camera obscura, in
which a small hole in a dark room "captures" an outside
image. The grainier and less clear images are intentional
and add to the charm of the movie. Away from the optical
illusions, the video is clear with exceptional color and
clarity.
Being a romantic comedy, the sound is not overstated.
There is a general lack of creative sound effects. Rather,
the movie consists mostly of dialogue, which has clear
voices.
Aside from the theatrical trailer, the features in
Addicted to Love are static. Production notes are lengthy
and interesting. They make mention that the script was
originally presented in 1990 yet didn't make it to
production many years later. The description of the camera
obscura process makes for interesting reading.
I wonder if Meg Ryan is somehow typecast. Aside from a
few roles in dramas, she seems stuck in romantic comedies.
That's fine by me. She does the part perfectly. Matching her
up with Matthew Broderick results in a wonderful movie. The
DVD has exceptional sound and video. From a features
viewpoint, there isn't much separating this title from a
budget release, however.
 (4/5, NOT included in
final score)
(4/5)
(4/5)
 (1/5)
 (3.5/5, NOT an average)
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