Untamed Heart (DVD, 2009, Spa Cash)

Well reading the other reviews posted here, I must have either missed something when watching this film, or simply watched it in the wrong mood.
The plot centres round the small town love story between coffee shop waitress, Caroline, played by Marisa Tomei and kitchen hand Adam played by Christian Slater. Slater is an orphan who also has a weak heart and Tomei, a optimistic romantic is always on the look out for real love, and it's not surprising that eventually the two fianally manage to begin a relationship, but after that there is really nothing else in the whole film.

Now before people start leaping up and accusing me of being just another bloke who doesn't understand romance movies I must say in my defence that some of my favourite films are romances, and I'm a stickler for small-town films that centre on a small number of characters. But I'm sorry; this long drawn out effort between these two just didn't push the right buttons for me.

The two main leads play their parts adequately well. Tomei plays her love seeking and slightly idealistic role with great grace and charm and her beauty and great range of facial expressions do work most of the time. The scene when she discovers the Xmas tree in her room is delightful and even an old cynic like me is drawn in. Slater on the other hand doesn't really have that much to do with the almost silent and somewhat retarded Adam. To be honest he came over just a little bit creepy to me and girls can you honestly say you would be thrilled to find out that this man had been sneaking into your bedroom to watch you sleep, even if it was Christian Slater.

The two main leads, especially Tomei, are well supported by Rosie Perez who makes the most of the little she has with the role of fellow waitress Cindy and it's here that I think the film is slightly lacking. I would have though a vital ingredient of a dialogue driven, limited cast film is to fill the minor parts with interesting and maybe quirky characters, but really aside from Perez there is no-one else in the film.

The film does use all the tear-jerking romance tricks in the book, and uses them unashamedly, which is at least refreshing that it doesn't try to pretend it's nothing it isn't, but for me alas it didn't provide the necessary "hook" to really get into it.