A doomed woman discovers her creative spirit during a final fling with life in this independent drama. Melody Wilder (Saffron Burrows) is already having a bad day when she visits her doctor about a troubling lump in her throat -- her boyfriend has left her, and she's lost her job. However, this news pales in comparison to what her doctor (Janeane Garofalo) has to say: the lump is an inoperable cancer, and Melody has only a short time to live. Throwing caution to the wind, Melody rents a huge,
luxurious apartment and furnishes it in high style, putting her purchases on a handful of credit cards she won't be around to pay off. Melody also permits herself affairs with a few of the deliverymen who have become regular visitors to her loft, but she spends most her days alone, enjoying the trappings of wealth as she ponders what little future she has left. One day, Melody makes an impulse purchase, a red electric guitar that looks like one she wanted as a girl. While Melody isn't schooled on the instrument, she begins teaching herself to work out chord patterns and melody lines, and in the last chapter of her life discovers a way to give voice to the pain and confusion she's buried within her. Written by veteran underground filmmaker Amos Poe, The Guitar was the first feature film from director Amy Redford. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The Guitar is a lark, at best, but when Burrows' healing indulgence extends to taking on lovers of both sexes, its goofiness acquires a certain hedonistic charm.
Some new directors often opt for minimalism in the hope that less is more. This doesn't work for Amy Redford (Robert's daughter), who transitions from actress to filmmaker with The Guitar.
After spending 45 of the movie's 95 minutes in an orgy of consumerism, The Guitar suddenly speeds up its tempo and begins bombarding us with plot developments.
Saffron Burrows is commanding as a distraught woman who finds a novel way to cope with tragedy, but the movie constantly subverts realistic detail with the fantastic in ways that are not dramatically satisfying.
Well, here ya go. This would be me in a nut shell if I found out that I only had 30-60 days left to live.....that is, if I didn't have kids and a husband that would have to inherit my debt. This girl totally decided to live out her dream before it was too late. I can't even imagine a better way to go out. Nice little
twist there at the end. It probably doesn't hurt that I am a sucker for a decent music inspired film.
What would you do if on the same day you get laid off, your boyfriend decides to dump you and you are told you have cancer and only a month or two to live?This movie presents one response. Makes you think.
No quotes approved yet for The Guitar. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'The Guitar'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
