Director: Anton King
MPAA Rating: NR
Film Pulse Score: 4.5/10
As far as romantic comedies go, Lust for Love is not the worst thing out there, however it’s far from the best. This paint by numbers tale features a number of people from Joss Whedon’s ill-fated Dollhouse, so fans may get a kick out of it, but most will find the entire journey clichéd and predictable. It’s nice to see Fran Kranz in a solid leading role, however his talents feel slightly wasted in an unfunny comedy that simply tries too hard and winds up being forgettable and disappointing.
Kranz plays Astor, a guy who gets dumped by the girl of his dreams and takes consolation in the friendship of Cali, played by Dichen Lachman. Cali attempts to aid Astor in getting back into the dating world, but things aren’t going well for him as he tries putting on a macho façade and mask his sensitive nice guy persona. After realizing that he just needs to be true to himself and honest with the women he talks to, the ex comes back into the picture at the worst possible moment. Astor must then take a long look at his love life and decide how he wants to proceed.
As with many romantic comedies involving a guy confiding in a female friend, there comes a point where they both realize that true love was staring them in the face the whole time. This is something that can be predicted within the first five minutes of the film, which tends to create a certain amount of boredom. I found myself wanting to yell at the screen and just tell him to just hurry up and come to this realization so we can all go home.
Funded through Kickstarter, this is a film that feels like a labor of love, and it turned out okay quality-wise. The camerawork is fine, and this could pass for a big budget Hollywood film, but there’s definitely a bit of bite to the humor that will certainly turn off those looking for a wholesome family experience. The performances are solid as well, and Fran Kranz once again proves himself as a real actor, but issues with the script cause things to slightly fall apart.
The dialogue is delivered in a Sorkin-esque way, with very speedy back and forth conversations between characters. This may work in something like The West Wing, or more appropriately Felicity, but it doesn’t work in this movie. The conversations feel entirely too scripted and the actors seem to have difficulty making it sound natural. The end result is stilted banter between characters that sounds more like line reading and less like a real conversation between friends.
Lust for Love is not a complete waste of time, but it’s close. The charming characters make it worth a look if you are curious to see more of the Dollhouse crew, but unfortunately it’s a manila folder of a film that brings little to the table.
