"Bad Timing" is a film you'll either love or hate. Many of the reviews give it high praise and have very high ratings...but many also were very ambivalent about it. Place me in that second group. This is because in spite of all the nudity and sexuality, it sure left me very, very bored.
The film begins with some doctors working on an overdose patient, Milena (Theresa Russell). Then, throughout the rest of the film, you see a series of flashbacks about her relationship with an American psychology professor, Alex (Art Garfunkel). To call their relationship dysfunctional is clearly an understatement and it seemed very odd to me that a psychology professor would have a relationship with such a disturbed woman. She shows many of the symptoms of a Borderline Personality--with an inability to deal with boredom, compulsive use of sex and intoxicants, an inability to truly love or trust another (often adoring him and then hating him with little warning) and a lot of other behaviors that ultimately result in Alex rightfully calling her "a crazy bitch". Some might enjoy all these histrionics...but after a while it all became incredibly dull...even with all the nudity. Some of this is the choice of music--music that often exacerbated the slow pace and depressing mood of the film. The only time it really got interesting was late in the movie when you learned more about Alex and his actions during her suicide attempt...that WAS a bit of a surprise! Sadly, it took way too long to get there...and by then I was pretty much finished with the film.
Overall, a mildly interesting portrait of some very sick people...her for her many, many self-destructive behaviors and him for putting up with it and his behaviors late in the film. I couldn't see any genius in this one...just a film that left me waiting and hoping it would all end very soon.
By the way, although the film is set in Vienna, no one seemed to be Austrian! Not only were Alex and Milena Americans but so was the detective investigating (Harvey Keitel)....and this casting really didn't make any sense. Nor did it make much sense that the Doctor really didn't speak German very well despite living in Austria!
The film begins with some doctors working on an overdose patient, Milena (Theresa Russell). Then, throughout the rest of the film, you see a series of flashbacks about her relationship with an American psychology professor, Alex (Art Garfunkel). To call their relationship dysfunctional is clearly an understatement and it seemed very odd to me that a psychology professor would have a relationship with such a disturbed woman. She shows many of the symptoms of a Borderline Personality--with an inability to deal with boredom, compulsive use of sex and intoxicants, an inability to truly love or trust another (often adoring him and then hating him with little warning) and a lot of other behaviors that ultimately result in Alex rightfully calling her "a crazy bitch". Some might enjoy all these histrionics...but after a while it all became incredibly dull...even with all the nudity. Some of this is the choice of music--music that often exacerbated the slow pace and depressing mood of the film. The only time it really got interesting was late in the movie when you learned more about Alex and his actions during her suicide attempt...that WAS a bit of a surprise! Sadly, it took way too long to get there...and by then I was pretty much finished with the film.
Overall, a mildly interesting portrait of some very sick people...her for her many, many self-destructive behaviors and him for putting up with it and his behaviors late in the film. I couldn't see any genius in this one...just a film that left me waiting and hoping it would all end very soon.
By the way, although the film is set in Vienna, no one seemed to be Austrian! Not only were Alex and Milena Americans but so was the detective investigating (Harvey Keitel)....and this casting really didn't make any sense. Nor did it make much sense that the Doctor really didn't speak German very well despite living in Austria!