Mark Decena makes his directorial debut with the romantic comedy Dopamine. In San Francisco during the economic heyday of computer technology, Rand (John Livingston) works as a software designer. He and his co-workers, Winston (Bruno Campos) and Johnson (Reuben Grundy), have created a toy called Koy Koy, an A.I. cyber-pet that can respond to its owner's voice. Rand's love life hasn't been very productive, especially because his father (William Windom) has been repeatedly telling him that love is
just a series of chemical reactions ever since his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. One day, Rand goes out to the bar after work and meets preschool teacher Sarah (Sabrina Lloyd), whom he feels strongly attracted to. When his company test markets his cyber-pet to little kids, Rand meets Sarah again and they are instantly connected. Despite their differing opinions on the chemical nature of love, Rand and Sarah begin a romance that puts their theories to the test. The film also stars Kathleen Antonia and Nicole Wilder. Shot on digital video, Dopamine premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
At bottom, what we've got here is a movie about a boy who meets a girl, loses her and tries to find a way to get her back. Which returns us to the original question: Can romance be reduced to scientific formula?
Mostly a drab affair, unfolding in restaurants, office cubicles and anonymous apartments, in which characters talk endlessly about relationships in ways that suggest they think they're being intelligent.
Director Mark Decena and his writing partner show a good deal of promise for their future efforts, but some bad decisions and simplistic characters keep Dopamine from being anything to fall in love with.
Another movie where hipster film makers pat themselves on the back for picking up a few chemical names. Then use their ten minutes of study to back up their love note to ignorance. The movie burns a strawman that no scientist has ever put forward. The acting is pretty good, the science is horrible, and every bit of the
plot which touches on it winds up tarnished as a result. I'm not normally one of those people who complains about bad science in movies, but when it comes with the potential freedom to actually do it right which an indi label brings, and when the plot is actually largely dependant on that bad science, it really brings down the whole movie.
No quotes approved yet for Dopamine. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Dopamine'
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
