| | | A Story for Anyone with an Appetite for Love...
Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 1.33:1, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, English, Spanish, Subtitled, Sensormatic
From venerable Academy Award-winning director Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer), comes a kaleidoscopic ode to life and love in all its funny, sad, sexy, crazy, heartbreaking and life sustaining facets: Feast of Love. In a coffee shop in a tight-knit Oregon community, local professor Harry Stevenson (Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman) witnesses love and attraction whipping up mischief among the town's residents. From the unlucky in love, die-hard romantic coffee shop owner Bradley (Academy Award-nominee Greg Kinnear) who has a serial habit of looking for love in all the wrong places, including with his current wife Kathryn (Selma Blair); to the edgy real estate agent Diana (Radha Mitchell) who is caught up in an affair with a married man (Billy Burke) with whom she shares an ineffable connection; to the beautiful young newcomer Chloe (Alexa Davalos) who defies fate in romancing the troubled Oscar (Toby Hemingway); to Harry himself, whose adoring wife (Jane Alexander) is looking to break through his wall of grief after the wrenching loss of a beloved...they all intertwine into one remarkable story in which no one can escape being bent, broken, befuddled, delighted and ultimately redeemed by love's inescapable spell.
"Sexy, funny, sad and defiantly romantic, Feast of Love is the rare movie to cuddle up to." Richard Corliss, Time
"Multiple narratives are fluidly interwoven and the writing is often inspired, resulting in dialogue that feels honest and insightful..." USA Today
Editor's Note
Love is the star of this film from director Robert Benton (KRAMER VS. KRAMER, THE HUMAN STAIN). Bradley (Greg Kinnear) believes in the power and beauty of true love. He's good at falling in love--just with the wrong women. He's hoping that his relationship with sophisticated Diana (Radha Mitchell) will have a happier ending than his first marriage to Kathryn (Selma Blair). Bradley's friend Harry (Morgan Freeman) is happily married to Esther (Jane Alexander), but they are dealing with the loss of a different kind of love. At the same time, Oscar (Toby Hemingway) and Chloe (Alexa Davalos) are busy falling in love at first sight and starting their life together, even though the odds are against them.In this film, no relationship stone is left unturned, and no relationship is judged. Instead, love in various stages of growth, dissolution, and transformation is explored. From love at first sight to divorce and death, to long-term relationships and affairs, multiple facets of love are seen as what they are: simply a fact of life. Freeman's character, a professor on sabbatical, serves as an elder statesman of sorts, wise enough to notice nuances in relationships the other characters miss. Kinnear is endearing as Bradley, who simply wants to love and be loved. Davalos is someone to watch--she lights up the screen, and Alexander commands every frame in which she appears. Be prepared: this is not the light-hearted romp it appears to be in the trailer. There is quite a bit of nudity and sexual content, and some very adult themes. Set in Oregon, the film is based on the novel of the same name by Charles Baxter, and also features Billy Burke and Fred Ward.
| Features | Audio Commentary By Director Robert Benton | | Audio: English DTS 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: French, Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Featurettes: The Players, What Fools These Mortals Be, & A Merry Feast | | Includes Both Widescreen & Full Screen Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Music Video: Honestly By The Cary Brothers | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Mgm Entertainment |
| Release Date: 9/23/2008 |
| Running Time: 102 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 109997 | | UPC: 00883904099970 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen/Standard 2.35:1/1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Film Comment
"Benton and Burnett have managed to do justice to the complex texture and shifting moods of the novel....In their hands and in the subtle interplay of the performers, love is not simply a feast, but ultimately a profound mystery..." 09/01/2007 p.69USA Today
"Multiple narratives are fluidly interwoven and the writing is often inspired, resulting in dialogue that feels honest and insightful..." 09/28/2007 p.4E Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he high quality of writing and performances, coupled with the believable chemistry within every relationship, invites major involvement." 04/01/2008 p.88 ReelViews 8 of 10
It's a little surprising to encounter a film like Feast of Love in multiplexes, because it is made for adults. After a summer of pyrotechnics and incredibly dumb scripts, it's a change of pace to find something that aspires to run for 100 minutes without a gunshot or an explosion. A romantic drama based on Charles Baxter's difficult-to-adapt novel, the film takes us along the rocky journey associated with falling in love. The screenplay combines philosophy, melodrama, and clichs to engaging effect. Feast of Love's greatest strength is that it's about people and involves universal emotions. It's not great art but it is enjoyable soap opera...Feast of Love gains a sheen of erudition via the character of Harry, who often acts as the movie's seer. Like many wise men, however, he is better at advising others than sorting out his own emotional troubles. This movie is for those who believe in the healing, regenerative power of love. The experience of watching it is not unlike that of sipping from an insulated cup at the coffee shop where much of the action takes place: relaxing, familiar, and non-confrontational. Feast of Love may not be memorable but it is pleasant. - James Berardinelli
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