A film that wants to break molds but lacks the ambition and nerve to do so.
De-Lovely (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:151
Fresh:74
Rotten:77
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Musical numbers save movie from cliches.
Theatrical Release:Jul 2, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $13,148,028
Synopsis: Directed by Irwin Winkler, DE-LOVELY depicts the life of the great American composer Cole Porter (Kevin Kline). Despite his sexual preference for men, Porter found inspiration and virtually... Directed by Irwin Winkler, DE-LOVELY depicts the life of the great American composer Cole Porter (Kevin Kline). Despite his sexual preference for men, Porter found inspiration and virtually unconditional love with Linda Lee (Ashley Judd). Told in flashback as Porter is near death, the film follows the Porters' fabulous, unconventional relationship from their meeting in Paris to their subsequent moves to Venice, New York, Hollywood, and Williamstown, as well as the many stops along the way. Kline perfectly captures the Porters' zest for life and seemingly inexhaustible need for love. Classic tunes such as "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love," "Let's Misbehave," and "Anything Goes" take on whole new meanings when considered in the context of Porter and Lee's life together. Contemporary musical performers, including Alanis Morissette, Natalie Cole, Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello, and Sheryl Crow, appear in the film singing Porter standards, a device that works surprisingly well. Judd holds her own as the devoted Linda, who gives her love to Porter and supports his musical ambitions while trying to overlook his homosexual affairs. Historians may debate the details of the Porters' relationship, but one thing is clear: DE-LOVELY dazzles with great music, period costumes, and fine performances. [More]
Starring: Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, Keith Allen
Starring: Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, Keith Allen, Natalie Cole, Angie Hill
Director: Irwin Winkler
Director: Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Jay Cocks
Producer: Irwin Winkler, Rob Cowan, Charles Winkler
Composer: Cole Porter
Studio: MGM/UA
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Reviews for De-Lovely
Spike Jones or 'Weird Al' Yankovic could scarcely have been more jarring than the gaggle of preening pop stars invited to camp on the classics.
You enter a movie with that title, prepared to be enchanted. You straggle out a couple of hours later, lost in a fog of gloom.
Director Irwin Winkler has a veteran's appreciation for show business, and he confidently chronicles Porter's rise to fame and fortune -- and his physical and career setbacks.
Delightful, and delicious, and probably for most mass audiences, de-irritating. As Cole might have said, however...there's no accounting for taste.
De-Lovely is an enjoyable musical biography of Cole Porter with a stellar performance by Kevin Kline.
De-Lovely is a work of art, in the medium of film, with an almost dreamlike vision, as if we've fallen into a portal through the floodlights...READ ON->
A failed attempt at stylization, lacking the consistency of view and approach that would knit the parts together into a cohesive whole. But, oh, those songs!
In voice, manner, patrician charm and private torment, Kevin Kline is perfection as legendary composer Cole Porter.
The musical moments are punctuated with awkward and stilted dialog that completely kills the movie's momentum.
If this is the future of musical movies, please stop the trend before it takes off...
Winkler and Cocks almost convince us that, despite his secrets, success and tortured later life, Porter is not interesting enough to warrant big-screen treatment.
Keeping it all alive through all the dramatic ups and down, and limited psychological and emotional complexity, is Kline.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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