Plot
A meditation on love and its various incarnations, set within a community of friends in Oregon. and is described as an exploration of the magical, mysterious and sometimes painful incarnations of love.

Release Year: 2007

Rating: 6.6/10 (8,456 voted)

Critic's Score: 51/100

Director: Robert Benton

Stars: Morgan Freeman, Radha Mitchell, Alexa Davalos

Storyline
A rustic Oregon town is the backdrop for this tale of men and women touched by love's inescapable spell. From Bradley, the hopeless romantic who looks for love in all the wrong places; to Harry, a local professor with the wisdom and experience to guide those close to him; to young, beautiful Chloe, who defies fate in romancing the troubled Oscar.

Writers: Allison Burnett, Charles Baxter

Cast:
Morgan Freeman - Harry Stevenson
Greg Kinnear - Bradley Smith
Radha Mitchell - Diana Croce
Billy Burke - David Watson
Selma Blair - Kathryn Smith
Alexa Davalos - Chloe Barlow
Toby Hemingway - Oscar
Stana Katic - Jenny
Erika Marozsán - Margaret Vekashi
Jane Alexander - Esther Stevenson
Fred Ward - Bat
Margo Martindale - Mrs. Maggarolian
Missi Pyle - Agatha Smith
Shannon Lucio - Janey
Alex Mentzel - Billy Smith

Taglines: A story for anyone with an appetite for love.

Official Website: Official site |

Release Date: 28 September 2007

Filming Locations: 923 SE 37th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, USA

Opening Weekend: $1,707,967 (USA) (30 September 2007) (1200 Screens)

Gross: $3,504,875 (USA) (9 December 2007)

Runtime: 101 min

Trivia:
Both Radha Mitchell and Alexa Davalos have a Vin Diesel connection - Mitchell was in Pitch Black and Davalos was in The Chronicles of Riddick.

Goofs:
Factual errors: At 46:38, when Harry is typing a letter on his computer, the address seen on the monitor displays a ZIP code in Portland, Oregon as 98765. In actuality, the first three letters for Portland, Oregon ZIP codes are 972, and the first two numbers for Oregon ZIP codes are 97.

Quotes:
[first lines, voiceover narration]
Harry Stevenson: There is a story about the greek gods. They were bored, so they invented human beings, but they were still bored, so they invented love. Then they weren't bored any longer, so they decided to try love for themselves. And finally they invented laughter, so they could stand it.

Is Love number one or number two?

Rating: 7/10

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Robert Benton has only made 11 movies in 35 years. What is consistent with each of his films is the way he peels back the layers of humanity. He really explores the different personalities in people. Think of the Hoffman/Streep split in "Kramer vs. Kramer" and you will see the similarities with the break-up here of Greg Kinnear and Selma Blair. The number of intimate moments and personal insecurities are too many to count ... just like real life.

Rarely do you see one partner slap the other in the midst of an affair when the one slapping is trying to lecture the soon-to-be-married other one that her morals need to be straightened out before she weds. In other words ... do as I say, not as I do. Another good story line involved two young broken people who try to accept that life and love can be good. Played well by Toby Hemingway and a stunning Alexa Davalos, the two lovers have overcome much in their lives and certainly appreciate the bond they have.

The best story line in the film is the magic of Morgan Freeman and Jane Alexander, playing the oldest interracial couple I can remember seeing on film. They are both hurting deeply from the loss of a son, yet the strength of their relationship allows them to deal with grief in separate ways, while still being there for each other. Two excellent performances.

The center of the film is the lovable, clueless, hopeless-romantic played by underrated actor Greg Kinnear. We see two relationships (Selma Blair and Radha Mitchell) end badly for him, yet he clings to his belief that LOVE is what it's all about.

I like how the only kids involved in this real world mess are old enough to make their own decisions. It would have been easy to toss in a kid or two to tug even harder at the tear ducts, but this remained an adult story for adults ... and there are far too few of these. Be forewarned , this is no light-hearted chick flick. It could be termed a romantic drama but more accurately a human drama.

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