Love Liza
User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9

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  1. DaveS.
    Aug 10, 2003
    1
    Enough Gas. The acting is good but not even good acting can save this movie. If you do rent it get ready to fast forward. Better yet don't waste your time.
  2. Joe
    Jul 31, 2003
    1
    2 hours of watching a guy huff gas. It's "About Schmidt", except that it's about sh*t.
  3. ChadS.
    Sep 11, 2004
    8
    "Moonlight Mile" made some nice observations about picking up the pieces after the untimely death of a fiance/spouse, but because it had a commercial, albeit, well-intentioned heart, the film is somewhat flawed by the Jake Gyllenhall character's new romance. In "Love Liza" when love presents itself to Wilson (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), he rebukes his boss' offer; opting for the less-challenging company of Denny (Jack Kehler), and other competitive model boat enthusiasts instead. Rebounding is harder in real life and "Love Liza" knows it. Although this chamber piece lacks the conviction to be relentlessly morose, it's truthful about the dirty little secret that some widowers (or widows) never make it back from the wilderness. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is great, and so is Kathy Bates (as his mother-in-law), who would've made an equally fine main character, had screenwriter Gordy Hoffman and director Todd Louiso gone a different route. … Expand
  4. James
    Jan 16, 2003
    10
    I saw this film at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. This is the feature directorial debut of actor Todd Louiso (and yes, he talks and acts exactly like his character in High Fidelity). Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Wilson Joel, a man whose wife has committed suicide before the film begins. We follow Wilson as he tries to carry on, unable to open the suicide note she left for him, becoming addicted to sniffing gasoline fumes, and trying to make friends among radio-control car/boat/plane enthusiasts. If it sounds a bit wacky, it is. It's also beautiful and very very sad. Hoffman is a genius at playing lovable sad sacks, and he's even better than usual here, carrying the entire picture on his slumped shoulders. The wonderful Jack Kehler (who played the artistic superintendent in The Big Lebowski) provides excellent comic relief. Philip's brother Gordy Hoffman wrote the screenplay, and the film took four years to get made. Obviously a labour of love. A gorgeous melancholy soundtrack from Jim O'Rourke adds immeasurably to an already powerful film.… Expand
  5. LorenzoG.
    Jun 18, 2003
    10
    I have recently seen Love Liza after drawing it off the shelves at blockbuster since I cannot visit Kim's anymore in the city. The film is a melancholic masterpiece, a stroke of simplistic genius by Todd, Lisa, Gordy, and Philip. The film carries the viewer through the despair and turmoil of a man who has lost his wife in which the key to survival and freedom find disillusion in the fumes of "2 on 1" gas. I am disheartened at reading the reviews by all these bigshot newspapers and feel they have missed the aim of this film. It is story that does not need to reach a closure, rather its goal is to portray the ultimate loss and remarkable reconstruction of a man torn by death and its strange way of using childhood to start over. Watching this film 4 times over the course of 2 days through my emotions in every direction and Philip's performance is what captivated me most. Everyone should take a break from reality, watch this short film, and learn to appreciate the cinematographic beauty and empathetic attraction this film offers. I will never forget ti and would give anything to thank the makers of this piece in person. Thank you for listening. "That's where I..."… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
58 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 27
  3. Negative: 2 out of 27
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    60
    The movie is so small and emotionally constricted that it gives Hoffman too little room to explore his range.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    70
    Todd Louiso's directorial debut emerges at once as compelling and as a bit of a specimen due to the entirely singular nature of the protagonist's behavior.
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  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    60
    Love Liza needs more than mood on its side. A moment of recognizable human behavior would have been a fine place to start.
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