FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- "Loose Women" is a testament to the importance of connections and is more indicative of the filmmaker's powers of persuasion rather than any particular ability behind the camera. This extremely low-budget item boasts cameo appearances by such actors as Charlie Sheen, Stephan Lang, Giancarlo Esposito and Keith David, and among the contributors to the soundtrack is Mark Bryan from Hootie & the Blowfish. But the film, which recently received its world premiere at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, is not likely to show up on any of their resumes.
The debut feature of director Paul F. Bernard (the production notes describe his filmmaking experience as "practical and vast"), the cannily but inaccurately titled "Loose Women" is a comedy-drama about three female roommates in New York's East Village. Rachel (Sherry Ham, who also wrote the screenplay), a struggling actress, is depressed over the lack of momentum in her career and the fact that she's about to turn 30. Her mood is not helped when her aspiring-actress friend, Tracy (Marialisa Costanzo), breezes into town and lands a soap opera job on her very first day of looking. The third member of the trio is Gail (Melissa Errico), a seemingly stable schoolteacher with a secret life as a prostitute.
When Gail is arrested and subsequently institutionalized by her repressive mother and sister, Rachel, with the aid of a friendly cop (Tom Verica), sets out like a self-described Nancy Drew to rescue her friend from her family's evil clutches.
The film, which began as a breezy and semi-amusing contemporary comedy, becomes an unconvincing angst-ridden melodrama, not helped by unintentionally funny dialogue and stiff acting from most of the principals. Errico, currently a theatrical darling in New York thanks to her acclaimed work in such revivals as "My Fair Lady" and "One Touch of Venus", comes off best, and Corey Glover (late of the band Living Colour) has some nice moments as an overeager suitor.
The cameos are mostly embarrassing. Lang hams it up unmercifully as a rambunctious drunk, Esposito and David play a pair of effeminate hairdressers in a style that's something out of "In Living Color", and Sheen delivers a tedious, over-the-top monologue about Barbie dolls that's clearly an imitation of Quentin Tarantino's much better verbal riffing in "Sleep With Me".
The film's technical credits are also less than stellar, with muffled sound and choppy editing only part of the problem.
LOOSE WOMEN
An Inmotion Entertainment presentation
Director-producer:Paul F. Bernard
Executive producers:J.D. Matonti, James Scura
Producer:Chris Mantonti
Screenplay:Sherry Ham
Director of photography:Peter Reneris
Editor:Marie Pierre Renaud
Music:Pat Irwin
Color
Cast:
Rachel:Sherry Ham
Gail:Melissa Errico
Tracy:Marialisa Costanzo
Chris:Tom Verica
Jack:Corey Glover
Ann:Amy Alexandra Lloyd
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The debut feature of director Paul F. Bernard (the production notes describe his filmmaking experience as "practical and vast"), the cannily but inaccurately titled "Loose Women" is a comedy-drama about three female roommates in New York's East Village. Rachel (Sherry Ham, who also wrote the screenplay), a struggling actress, is depressed over the lack of momentum in her career and the fact that she's about to turn 30. Her mood is not helped when her aspiring-actress friend, Tracy (Marialisa Costanzo), breezes into town and lands a soap opera job on her very first day of looking. The third member of the trio is Gail (Melissa Errico), a seemingly stable schoolteacher with a secret life as a prostitute.
When Gail is arrested and subsequently institutionalized by her repressive mother and sister, Rachel, with the aid of a friendly cop (Tom Verica), sets out like a self-described Nancy Drew to rescue her friend from her family's evil clutches.
The film, which began as a breezy and semi-amusing contemporary comedy, becomes an unconvincing angst-ridden melodrama, not helped by unintentionally funny dialogue and stiff acting from most of the principals. Errico, currently a theatrical darling in New York thanks to her acclaimed work in such revivals as "My Fair Lady" and "One Touch of Venus", comes off best, and Corey Glover (late of the band Living Colour) has some nice moments as an overeager suitor.
The cameos are mostly embarrassing. Lang hams it up unmercifully as a rambunctious drunk, Esposito and David play a pair of effeminate hairdressers in a style that's something out of "In Living Color", and Sheen delivers a tedious, over-the-top monologue about Barbie dolls that's clearly an imitation of Quentin Tarantino's much better verbal riffing in "Sleep With Me".
The film's technical credits are also less than stellar, with muffled sound and choppy editing only part of the problem.
LOOSE WOMEN
An Inmotion Entertainment presentation
Director-producer:Paul F. Bernard
Executive producers:J.D. Matonti, James Scura
Producer:Chris Mantonti
Screenplay:Sherry Ham
Director of photography:Peter Reneris
Editor:Marie Pierre Renaud
Music:Pat Irwin
Color
Cast:
Rachel:Sherry Ham
Gail:Melissa Errico
Tracy:Marialisa Costanzo
Chris:Tom Verica
Jack:Corey Glover
Ann:Amy Alexandra Lloyd
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/27/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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