The original title of Living Out Loud was The Kiss, which also happens to be the title of one of the two Anton Chekhov stories the movie is loosely based on. (For those Russian lit mavens out there, the other story is "Misery.") The actual kiss in Living Out Loud is a somewhat mysterious affair: newly single Judith (Holly Hunter) suddenly finds herself laying a wet 'n' sloppy one on a total stranger (Elias Koteas, Hunter's Crash costar) in the back room of a cool jazz club, and then parting ways with the man. For good. Like so much of this exceptionally smart, generous movie, no explanation is given--or necessary. Screenwriter Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King), making his directing debut, charts Judith's struggles in the wake of being dumped by her doctor husband (Martin Donovan). It turns out life has its ups and downs, some of which come courtesy of the elevator operator (Danny DeVito) in her swanky Upper East Side apartment building. DeVito's character is a nice guy in need of a little human touch, and the actor soft-pedals his usual sleaze in favor of a warm, directly emotional approach. It's the kind of turn that garners Oscar nominations, except that this movie didn't attract the box office it deserved. His performance, like the film, keeps surprising you--a fantasy sequence here, an ensemble dance there, plus a couple of smoky jazz tunes contributed by Queen Latifah. This unpredictable movie has the kiss of class. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
a real gem:
this is a great movie-- nyc shines in it too and the acting is superb-- holly hunter is a revelation in this touching bright witty charming unpredictABLE love story---devito is at his best and queen latifah should only sing jazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz--her version of lush life is worth the price of admission alone-- but holly and devito take this wonderful material and go to town w it---- a most rewarding movie---if u havent seen it yer in for a surprise----this kind of quality is all too rare---highly recommended... more info
Living Out Loud:
Holly Hunter is one of my favorites and this was a great film with Holly, Danny DeVito and Queen in her first 'straight' singing role - they're all great in this movie. One of my favorite films. Glad to have it.
Beautiful Filmmaking:
I first saw this film in the theatre when it came out in 1998. I discovered Queen Latifah and her remarkable talent. I saw it last night again. It was even better. A brilliant performannce by Holly Hunter who is right up in the camera and never flinching. Danny DeVito shows a new dimension to his acting.
This is a bittersweet story of love, lonliness and ultimately moving on and finding hope. There is a film noir quality with most of the film taking place at night with the city and jazz as the... more info
Underated:
I found this movie to witty and ironic. I loved Holly Hunters role and she had great support from Danny Devito and Queen Latifah.There was so much of it that I related to. Who wouldn't want to throw muffins at their EX LOL!
