MovieFreak.com - Love Liza DVD Review

Following the unexplained suicide of his wife, Liza, website designer Wilson Joel (Philip Seymour Hoffman) turns to gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law (Kathy Bates).

Philip Seymour Hoffman owns this character. I mean he just immerses himself in him. He doesn’t overplay it either, however, it might be harder to distinguish what is overplaying and what is realistic. Anyway, Hoffman is the best thing about this film, but really the only thing, too. I don’t want to say Love Liza doesn’t have a story, because it does. Gordy Hoffman’s script is very intuitive and some of the dialogue is quite witty and funny, but that is always on Wilson’s part since his responses are a little different than yours or mine would be. The script’s purpose is clear, but the story finds itself a little empty on the whole.

Essentially, Love Liza is a character study. The “a comic tragic” label below the title on the cover art is somewhat relevant, but it’s not applicable per se. It’s hard to categorize Love Liza as a comedy of sorts, because much of the film feels depressing. Yes, depressing. Perhaps the film is a little too depressing in its nature, but consider Wilson’s constant sniffing of gasoline. I won’t reveal anymore than that, but the things that happen after someone close to you has died, and you’re left alone all by yourself, anything can happen. Love Liza really addresses the issue of this dilemma. Wilson goes off to new places and finds a new hobby; flying motor planes – it’s funny how he gets this hobby, though. Director Todd Louiso creates a real mood in the film and really gives us a hard-knock look at a man in tears and sorrow. But I guess you get the idea behind the film now.

Love Liza is worth looking at. When you see the film, don’t turn it off when it becomes boring to you, because it takes some time to get to know Wilson. You begin to sympathize with him in a way, feel sorry for him. I did and that’s what the film does. Love Liza is a strong, character-driven drama. While its story finds itself a little empty on the whole, the minor textures are important. Kathy Bates also stars in the film as Wilson’s mother-in-law and turns in a commanding supporting performance. The origin of the title, Love Liza, comes from an unexpected source, revealed at the end of the film. I find it rather clever and interesting. Love Liza is dramatic and worth seeing, but its depressing nature is a little too much for its own good.

Love Liza is presented in digitally mastered 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and High Definition. The print doesn’t really give that impression, however. Probably due to the limited budget, Love Liza includes a shot or two from a 16mm camera source. The rest of the print is plagued by dirt. Scratches occur at times, but I didn’t notice any lines across the print. The color palette is not as vibrant as it could have been, but some of the subdued colors work well for the film. Color detail is not quite sharp enough. Dark tones suffer and black level is not consistent. Love Liza’s transfer is nothing like it is advertised; at least I didn’t think much of the High Definition deal. Love Liza doesn’t look bad, just not good enough.

Love Liza is available in English Dolby Surround and features digitally mastered audio. The film is not audio-driven or anything, so nothing here will impress you. However, dialog scenes are clear and easy to understand. Jim O’Rourke’s score comes across nicely and impacts the presentation of the film. I couldn’t find much evidence of surround usage, or none at all, but the front speakers perform real well. Love Liza doesn’t sound bad; it’s fairly average with some small punches in the soundfield.

Aside from a commentary by Director Todd Louiso, Screenwriter Gordy Hoffman and Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, which is pretty conversational and on target, the only other semi-extras consist of a Weblink, trailers and filmographies. You can select to view the film with optional English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Hindi subtitles. The DVD’s menus are not animated, but labeled as interactive. The 90-minute feature is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

Philip Seymour Hoffman makes Love Liza really worth watching, but it’s not just him alone. Bates’ supporting performance, the script and the film score add much to the film. Yet, as I mentioned in my critique, the film is way too depressing. It’s understandable and can be tolerated, but I find it too much. Either way, rent this flick if you’re near a video store.

THE MOVIE	7
THE VIDEO	7
THE AUDIO	7
THE EXTRAS	3
OVERALL (not an average)	5