The Thing Called Love [DVD] [1983]

I really liked this film, and the extras on the DVD are good too.
River Phoenix on the extras said he used not to be into romantic films, feeling that he's opening up somewhat to the style, as he really likes this film. Well, i'm not usually into romantic films, but, like him, i've found a soft spot for this one. i think it help that the film has got bits for the 'masculine', and bits for the more 'feminine' parts of you

Maybe I like this more than the usual romantic filmes because it is based around music, maybe its the depth and breadth of the characters, the behind the scenes work and the overall backdrop, the high quality of acting from everyone, and the identifiable nature of the stories in it.

A bit about the film. A girl comes into Nashville, seeking to fufil her dream of being a country and western singer. Meets some people who have the same dream, including this erm, pain in the butt guy (sorry moody and sultry guy) played by river phoenix, but she soon finds out its just a front. well, maybe. I don't want to say much more, cos i liked bein suprised when watching the film.

i'm not usually into country and western music either, but good music is good music, and I really like the music in the film (I guess I don't know much about country and western music as I thought as I thought I didn't really like hardly any).

And i can identify with the desire to make the music that you love, and to be successful too.
and of course, the theme of the desire to follow your career dreams is surely a pretty universal topic.
and a great many will probably have experienced similar friendships and romantic relationships too.
And the characters are pretty much all very attractive if your interested in that kinda thing.

I think maybe the other reviewers comment on river phoenix's acting btw is maybe getting confused between characters and real life, or else has never met anyone like river pheonix's character before (i have), as its the character that is 'weird', rather than his acting. The director (on the extras) does comment how unlike river phoenix his character in the film is, which shows how excellent an actor he is
(btw i'm sayin 'is', cos in his films he still is, and wherever he moves on to, he probably still is).

The other actors are excellent too. Sandra Bullock is excellent as a ditzy and eccentric but deeper than most people realise charcter. Samantha Mathis is really good, and Dermot is as swoonsome as elvis. And the country and western singers in the film are also excellent.

The director is so excellent, that he gave the actors the opportunity to assist in writing their own songs, so that the actors could identify with them better. And this seems to have worked really well, with the added bonus of some excellent tunes, and a funny one from Sandra Bullock too. It's this kind of added behind the scenes usually unseen work that adds so much depth and quality to the film. It's excellent too, for example, that The Bluebell cafe, where they audition to play is really in Nashville, and they use the real outside of the place, and completely copy the inside of the place into the studio. I think you could say that adds to the authenticity and quality of the film.

It's a kind of film, that i'm glad i've seen anyway. Makes me wanna start making my own kind of music and following my dream too. (And just maybe I will......)

The Thing Called Love follows the life of a New Yorker (Mathis) who travels to Nashville to persue her Country singing career. It then follows the lives of the other people she meets there; falling in love with fellow singer (Phoenix).

It is a lovely film to watch with plenty of music thrown in along with the love and heartache. A gem to watch as all the main actors do great jobs in their roles.

The treatment of the film on DVD is excellent. The picture and sound are both very good and there are plenty of extras including a director's commentary, retrospective making of and a memorial documentary on River Phoenix.

Brought this film for Dermot Mulroney and Sandra Bullock although their not the lead characters. I wasnt prepared for what this film. It blew me away with fantastic songs all done by the actual cast and in my view a great representation of Nashville Tennesse. Is that good a movie i want to go there. Deffiantly reccomend this film to country music fans or anyone looking for a great love story with a few comedy gems courtesy of Sandra Bullock.