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"'Love'
Hurts"
by Scott Mantz
"Love & Sex"
Famke Janssen, Jon Favreau
Directed by Valerie Breiman
The question
that immediately comes to mind is "do we really need another movie
about the perils of dating in Los Angeles?" If you're thinking what
I'm thinking, then the answer is "definitely not." There's only
so many times that you can film the same movie and have it turn
out to be as fresh and funny as 1996's "Swingers." Hoards of filmmakers
try, but only a few of them end with a film that's actually worth
seeing. Fortunately, Valerie Breiman is one of those filmmakers,
and thanks to charming performances by Famke Janssen and Jon Favreau,
"Love & Sex" turns out to be a worthwhile date flick.
Kate (Famke
Janssen) is a writer who passes time writing uninspired articles
for a woman's magazine. After a string of failed relationships that
make her look like all of the women from HBO's "Sex and the City"
wrapped up in one, she meets Adam (Jon Favreau), an anal-retentive
artist with a penchant for painting disturbing pictures. They couldn't
be any more different, but of course, sparks fly. During the course
of their infatuation, they decide to move in together, but within
a year, they break up. They try to stay friends while they date
other people, but it's only a matter of time before they realize
that they should be dating each other.
Writer/director
Breiman didn't have to look far for her inspiration for "Love &
Sex." It's based on her now-defunct relationship with fellow filmmaker
Adam Rifkin, whose last film was "Detroit Rock City" (no wonder
she dumped him!). This boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-back
scenario isn't anything that we haven't already seen before, but
at least it has its moments. You can't choose the ones you love,
so naturally Kate falls in love with someone who's about as different
from her as she can get. In the beginning, that gives them a lot
to share, but eventually, those differences threaten to tear them
apart.
The film succeeds
mostly because of the tight chemistry between Jon Favreau and Famke
Janssen. He's sensitive and insecure, and she's moody and dark,
but together, they make a charming couple. Favreau hasn't been this
appealing since "Swingers," and after a string of forgettable roles
in Hollywood crap like "Deep Impact" and the currently-in-theaters
"The Replacements," he's back in the independent scene where he's
able to shine. Famke Janssen gets an opportunity to stretch her
range after "X-Men," playing a lonely woman who's really looking
to meet Mr. Right, if he's even out there.
At a scant 82
minutes, "Love & Sex" is short and sweet. Love (and sex) can be
a wonderful thing, but relationships take time and nurturing if
they are going to work out. The next question is "is it really worth
plunking down $8.50 to see what we already know?" In this case,
paying for "Sex" is money well spent.
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