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Three of Hearts
New Line // R // May 4, 2004
List Price: $19.97 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE MOVIE
I often wonder if the people who write up promo material for a film actually ever see the movie. Three of Hearts is a good example. The box cover for the DVD advertises the film as a "romantic comedy", which is only half true. It is romantic – but it's in no way a comedy. Now that that's out of the way, we can get on with the review.
I admire Three of Hearts because it doesn't give us long-winded speeches about the sexual orientation of the characters. They just are as God made them, and that's it. No diatribes about how much better the world would be if we could just accept people for who they are. Because of that, the movie seems more "real" and gets us interested in the people that inhabit the film.
Connie (Kelly Lynch) and Ellen (Sherilyn Fenn) are lovers, but Ellen decides to break it off one day, needing more space to think about their relationship. So that leaves Connie without a date to a family wedding, so her co-worker suggests that she hire a male escort for the day. She hires Joe (William Baldwin), whom we have already met early in the movie and seems to have some problems of his own.
Connie and Joe have a wonderful time at the wedding, and circumstances cause Joe to wind up at Connie's place for the night, where she tells him all about Ellen. Connie comes to the decision that she will hire Joe to help her win back Ellen – which, of course, leads to Joe falling in love with Ellen once the two start getting to know each other.
I've never been a huge fan of William Baldwin (although I think Alec is great!), but he does a nice job in the movie, and the scenes between Sherilyn and him do have some chemistry to them. What the movie doesn't need is a subplot about a guy who just got out of prison and his vendetta against Joe because he believes Joe is the one who "ratted him out" to the cops.
Still, some minor script problems aside, Three of Hearts is an enjoyable little movie filled with some good performances.
THE DVD
Video:
The video is presented in widescreen anamorphic at the 1.85:1 ratio. For a film that was made back in 1993, the picture is remarkably free from any dirt or defects in the print, although the overall look of the film is somewhat "soft" and seems a little darker than it should (although the latter could be the director's intent).
Audio:
Viewers get several options here, including a DTS track and a 5.1 Dolby track. This is one of the few cases where a DTS track probably wasn't necessary – but it nevertheless sounds very good. It's just too bad the movie doesn't provide many moments for the tracks to show just how aggressive they can be – since most of the film consists of conversational pieces.
Extras:
Extras on the DVD are somewhat slim, but do include an Alternate Ending to the movie, which provides a more "Hollywood" conclusion to the film than the one attached to the movie (I personally prefer the ending in the film).
The only other extras on the DVD are a few Trailers for other New Line releases (Torch Song Trilogy, Love! Valor! Compassion!, and The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love), and a DVD-ROM Link to New Line's website.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you're open-minded enough to not have a problem with the fact that the three leads play a gigolo, a lesbian and a bisexual, Three of Hearts makes for a nice evening's worth of entertainment. Heck – believe it or not – it's actually a pretty good date movie. Go ahead and pick it up for your collection.
I often wonder if the people who write up promo material for a film actually ever see the movie. Three of Hearts is a good example. The box cover for the DVD advertises the film as a "romantic comedy", which is only half true. It is romantic – but it's in no way a comedy. Now that that's out of the way, we can get on with the review.
I admire Three of Hearts because it doesn't give us long-winded speeches about the sexual orientation of the characters. They just are as God made them, and that's it. No diatribes about how much better the world would be if we could just accept people for who they are. Because of that, the movie seems more "real" and gets us interested in the people that inhabit the film.
Connie (Kelly Lynch) and Ellen (Sherilyn Fenn) are lovers, but Ellen decides to break it off one day, needing more space to think about their relationship. So that leaves Connie without a date to a family wedding, so her co-worker suggests that she hire a male escort for the day. She hires Joe (William Baldwin), whom we have already met early in the movie and seems to have some problems of his own.
Connie and Joe have a wonderful time at the wedding, and circumstances cause Joe to wind up at Connie's place for the night, where she tells him all about Ellen. Connie comes to the decision that she will hire Joe to help her win back Ellen – which, of course, leads to Joe falling in love with Ellen once the two start getting to know each other.
I've never been a huge fan of William Baldwin (although I think Alec is great!), but he does a nice job in the movie, and the scenes between Sherilyn and him do have some chemistry to them. What the movie doesn't need is a subplot about a guy who just got out of prison and his vendetta against Joe because he believes Joe is the one who "ratted him out" to the cops.
Still, some minor script problems aside, Three of Hearts is an enjoyable little movie filled with some good performances.
THE DVD
Video:
The video is presented in widescreen anamorphic at the 1.85:1 ratio. For a film that was made back in 1993, the picture is remarkably free from any dirt or defects in the print, although the overall look of the film is somewhat "soft" and seems a little darker than it should (although the latter could be the director's intent).
Audio:
Viewers get several options here, including a DTS track and a 5.1 Dolby track. This is one of the few cases where a DTS track probably wasn't necessary – but it nevertheless sounds very good. It's just too bad the movie doesn't provide many moments for the tracks to show just how aggressive they can be – since most of the film consists of conversational pieces.
Extras:
Extras on the DVD are somewhat slim, but do include an Alternate Ending to the movie, which provides a more "Hollywood" conclusion to the film than the one attached to the movie (I personally prefer the ending in the film).
The only other extras on the DVD are a few Trailers for other New Line releases (Torch Song Trilogy, Love! Valor! Compassion!, and The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love), and a DVD-ROM Link to New Line's website.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you're open-minded enough to not have a problem with the fact that the three leads play a gigolo, a lesbian and a bisexual, Three of Hearts makes for a nice evening's worth of entertainment. Heck – believe it or not – it's actually a pretty good date movie. Go ahead and pick it up for your collection.
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