Review: Living Out Loud (1998)

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Living Out Loud

Rating

Director

Richard LaGravenese

Screenplay

Richard LaGravenese

Length

1h 40m

Starring

Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito, Queen Latifah, Martin Donovan, Richard Schiff, Elias Koteas, Suzanne Shepherd, Mariangela Pino

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

A shy and self-conscious woman adapts to life after divorce in any way she can.

Review

How many times have we imagined ourselves in a situation where the outcome isn’t exactly as we had dreamed in our minds? All too often, we allow our minds to wander into strange places and dream about things happening that probably wouldn’t in a million years.

“Living Out Loud” is a spirited dramedy (a shortening of drama/comedy) starring Holly Hunter as Judith Nelson a successful woman whose marriage has just ended. She must now live life without her husband and attempt to adapt to her new world and break free from the shell that is keeping her from experiencing the true joys of life.

Danny DeVito is Pat Francato, a gambling doorman who is a bit too far in debt and faced with a daughter who is dying. His life gets worse slowly, until he meets Judith on his elevator and forms an indelible and possibly dangerous bond.

Queen Latifah play Liz Bailey, a singer with one record that failed to sell and thus she’s back doing what she does best, performing and hosting an open-mic Karaoke session. She’s extremely rude to the denizens of her bar, but changes her attitude when faced with a drunken Judith chastising her on the floor of the women’s bathroom.

Overall, this film is filled with flights of fancy that weave in and out of Judith’s head as she tries to reconcile her defunct marriage and adjust to her surroundings.

Eventually she breaks free of these bonds and goes so far as to get high on drugs and go out clubbing with Liz and hire an erotic massage (one of the most erotic scenes in recent memory and one that doesn’t reveal too much).

Hunter is wonderful as Judith Nelson, she brings a sophisticated and shallow, yet humanistically vulnerable aire to the performance that are necessary for us to empathize with her. DeVito is a major surprise in such a sympathetic and uncharacteristic role and Latifah is terrific not only in voice, but in acting prowess, allowing us to be swept into her character with limited fanfare and great understanding.

“Living” is one of those rare films that you can sit down to without being inundated with an unwielding amount of heavy-handed moralizing. After a very slow beginning, the film picks up pace and manages to entertain easily. There is a great deal of humor in the film that helps to break the occasional tedium.

“Living Out Loud” is one of the most fun romantic dramedies of the year.

Awards Prospects

Hunter, DeVito and Latifah each have limited shots at acting nominations. The film has equally limited possibilities for Original Screenplay and Costume Design, maybe even Original Comedic Score.