Addicted to Love (film)
| Addicted to Love | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Griffin Dunne |
| Written by | Robert Gordon |
| Produced by | Jeffrey Silver Robert Newmyer |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Andrew Dunn |
| Edited by | Elizabeth Kling |
| Music by | Rachel Portman |
Production companies | Miramax Films Outlaw Productions |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date | May 23, 1997 |
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $34,673,095 |
Addicted to Love is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Griffin Dunne, starring Meg Ryan, Matthew Broderick, Tchéky Karyo, and Kelly Preston. The movie's title is based on Robert Palmer's song "Addicted to Love".
Plot
Two pairs of lovers play out a comedy of errors, in which Maggie (Ryan) and Sam (Broderick), try several unethical and nasty tricks to break apart the envied union of their respective former partners, Anton (Karyo) and Linda (Preston).
Good-natured astronomer Sam is devastated when the love of his life, Linda, leaves him for a suave Frenchman named Anton. He therefore does what every other normal dumpee would do: he goes to New York and sets up house (and a camera obscura) in the abandoned building opposite his ex-girlfriend's apartment, intent on winning her back and waiting until she decides to leave her current lover. What Sam does not count on is being joined several weeks later by ultra hip tomboy Maggie, a photographer and motorcyclist, who is determined to get revenge on Anton, her ex-fiance. Mutually hostile at first, the two of them eventually join forces in an attempt to separate the couple and ruin Anton's life. However, complications ensue when Sam and Maggie start falling for each other.[1]
Cast
- Meg Ryan as Maggie
- Matthew Broderick as Sam
- Kelly Preston as Linda
- Tchéky Karyo as Anton
- Maureen Stapleton as Nana
- Remak Ramsay as Professor Wells
- Lee Wilkof as Carl
- Dominick Dunne as Matheson
- Larry Pine as Street Comic
- Daniel Dae Kim as Undergrad Assistant
- Bill Timoney as Restaurant Patron
Critical reviews
The film received mixed reviews. Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert panned it as immature, implausible and imbecilic, but still gave it two stars out of a possible four.[2]
He did not go as far as the Los Angeles Times' Kevin Thomas, who called it creepy and said:
It is exceedingly difficult to find what's funny in the calculated, obsessive, relentless destruction of Anton, especially when he proves to be the most likable and mature of all four of these people. Maybe Addicted to Love might work as a pitch-dark comedy, but in the way Robert Gordon has written it and Griffin Dunne directed it, it gives us the impression that we're supposed to take drastic, irrational revenge as a larky laff riot.[citation needed]
Addicted to Love currently holds a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Reception
The advertisements did warn viewers that it would be darker than what Ryan and Broderick are usually associated with, using the taglines "A comedy about lost loves and last laughs" and "A comedy about two people who are getting off on getting even."[3] However, the film only managed to take $34,673,095 gross at the box office,[4] several million less than either Ryan[5] or Broderick's averages.[6]
Release
The film, marking actor Griffin Dunne's directorial debut, was released on May 23, one week before the highly competitive Memorial Day weekend in the United States.
Box office
The film opened at #2 at the North American box office making $11.4 million USD in its opening weekend, behind The Lost World: Jurassic Park.[7]
Locations
While the majority of the filming took place where it was set, in the Greenwich Village area of New York City, some shooting was done in Centreville, Delaware and Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.[8]
References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118556/plotsummary
- ^ Addicted to Love :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews
- ^ Taglines from Addicted to Love from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
- ^ Addicted to Love performance from The-Numbers.com
- ^ Meg Ryan performance from The-Numbers.com
- ^ Matthew Broderick's performance from The-Numbers.com
- ^ https://comedymoviesreview.wordpress.com/
- ^ Filming locations from IMDb