Does anyone see similarities between Choose Me and Lost in Translation?!
Both are films with a slower pace, character driven, more real world like
characters that go through growing pains during the movie and have evolved
by the time the film comes to an end.
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oh please lost in translation is about how two boring bored riche spoiled brats feeling sorry for themselves and looking down on everyone around them, choose me is how so many people are loveable that love is all about making a decision and choosing someone and sticking with them, about the one and only. sofias piece of garbage is deadpan, downbeat, introspective, boring as hell and wan while Alan's delightful film is antic and funny and touching. one is a piece of crap and the other is like my favorite movie ever practically. one has a hot teddy pendergast soundtrack that perfectly suits the movie, the other has a compilation disc's worth of musical flavors of the week in order to capitalize on some kind of "tie in" or CD compilation release and is characterized by obvious choices like Peaches singing "*beep* away the pain" at a strip club. one is by the protoge of altman and the other is by francis' spoiled boring daughter. one stars a weary bill murray and insipid scarlett johansen while the other fronts a young hot keith carradine, rae dawn chong, genevieve bujold and lesley ann warren! feels so right! you're my choice tonight! choose me baby choose me!
Very well said, marymorrissey.
shareBang on Mary this film is an absolute masterpiece. Sad that most people out there have never seen it. If you truly love films and film making watch this film NOW. Love it. I'm going to watching it right now with a rum & coke in one hand and a smoke in the other.
shareI remember watching this movie for the first time in the theatre in 1984, with a big smile on my face at how comfortable it makes you feel, as if you're right there in the bar at Eve's with everyone else. The only worry I had at that time, during my first screening when I didn't know where the story was going, was that the filmmakers would go and do something stupid in the middle that would destroy the fantastic mood that this film creates... and they didn't.
Thus whenever I see this film again, I enjoy it even more, because I know where they're going, and I know that I'll enjoy the ride.
By comparison, I suspect that you could hack the entire center section out of "Lost in Translation" and it would have no effect on the story, whatever it was. It occurred to me, even as I watched that film, that I was looking at an awful lot of filler and padded scenes, apparently intended to stretch a thin film out to feature-film length.
I agree - - no comparison to LIT. None. I remember walking out of the theater after seeing LIT and quickly forgetting that I had just seen a movie. Really! Waht did I miss that everyone else seemes to love about that movie. Choose Me lives on with me ater all these years. I tell as many as I can about this "sleeper" and everyone goes on to adore it.
shareJust a very personal reaction. I loved "Choose Me" the first time I saw it and, maybe ten viewings later, it still draws me in. "Lost in Translation" left me completely cold.
shareEcho, echo, and echo. I was hoping for something from LIT after all the buzz, but came up with an empty bucket. Choose Me is just plain evocative.... of so very much. I love all the tales of an impossible life, which proved all true. And the cap of all, Eve's look on the bus ride.
I haven't run across a film to compare to Choose Me.
What I had in mind was boxing the compass.share
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One of the most striking differences between Choose Me and Lost in Translation is the fact that Choose Me is actually good.
shareIt's a great movie. Fell in love with Keith Carradine then, he was so good. Just a beautiful, underrated film.
shareTaking a chance on being redundant but I HAVE to agree with everyone else; just caught the end of Choose Me again today and remembered all over again why it is one of my favorite movies; I fall in love with it each time I see it. All I did on LIT was fall asleep....could someone please explain all the hype about LIT?
shareChoose Me is a much better film than LIT, even though I think LIT is a good picture.
My first impression was that this was the most sly movie I had ever seen. Throughout the picture the audience always knows far more about what's going on than the characters themselves do, even at the end. For example, at the end of the picture Eve still does not know Ann is the mysterious Dr. Nancy Love that she seeks for advice even as she comes to reject Ann's advice and Ann herself. Ann similarly does not know that Eve is one of her regular callers using a different pseudonym with each call. I also don't think Eve ever realizes that Pearl is Zack's estranged wife. Mickey and Zack keep running into each other without ever really knowing why. What seems to the characters to be a series of coincidences are really part of a complex Gordian knot. About the only time a main character knows as much as we do is when Eve realizes that Mickey has earlier proposed to Ann with the same words he used later with her.
All the main characters exhibit signs of mental imbalance; however as only the audience sees all sides of the characters, only we are fully aware of just how imbalanced each character is. Only we realize just how much the characters are talking past each other and never really connecting when they think they are.
Rudolph was obviously having a lot of fun with his characters and the craziness of love.
Excellent description. Best post in the thread. I don't know why so many people are complaining about LIT; it's an excellent film even if it doesn't come up to Choose Me. Very different thought.
Edward
I see some differences. I'm afraid that I find Leslie Ann Warren always painful to watch; she's attractive, but a terrible actress, with excruciatingly "emotive" mannerisms and delivery. Bujold certainly seemed to be trying, but her character was so repulsively dysfunctional that it was hard to watch. Carradine's performance was the only thing that kept me from ejecting the DVD. (Not the "real world" plot? No, the story was so off-the-wall -- and not in a good way -- that I really didn't care how it was going to end. When it did end, I didn't "believe" any of this nightmare anyway.)
Bill Murray & Scarlett J., on the other hand, are quite natural and convincing. I did care about the choices their characters made.
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Well it'd never have occured to me to compare these two, but there's some point to what you say. I remember being positively surprised when I saw LIT, and so was I after finding out about Choose Me many years later... I think in ten years time, if I watch LIT again I'll probably find some silly stuff in it, whereas one can only expect to like Choose Me more and more.
shareWell ... no, I see very few similarities, though unlike some whiners here I like both. Choose Me is on my all time favorites list. I don't think LIT is as good, but I liked it a lot too.
But I don't see similarities. Choose Me is abundantly detailed, rich and deep, with layers and parallels. LIT is mood, pure and simple. Choose Me moves at a darned fast pace if you keep up with all the little things going on, like shadows of faces kissing, a quote from Faust, songs weaving in and out of conversations. LIT is minimalism at its best.
Edward
"Lost In Translation" is a masterpiece. I will just say I didn't like "Choose Me" half as much as the others on this board.
"Live on, love all, and let live" - River Phoenix.
I'm with you on both counts.
shareThank you, glad I am not alone!
"The fundamental things apply, as time goes by."
CHOOSE ME: An half forgotten Masterpiece; possibly the best '80s movie!
shareYou are not alone! Thing is, I love Choose Me AND Lost in Translation.
I don't mind films where people talk to each other. Bill Murray is an awesome actor and he was fantastic in LIT. That movie has something to say, but I think you have to have lived a bit to get it. If you went in expecting Ghostbusters not wonder you were disappointed.
Same with Choose Me.