Love Liza (2002)
Average Rating: 5.9/10
Reviews Counted: 85
Fresh: 45 | Rotten: 40
Hoffman's performance is strong, but the lack of character development and story arc makes Love Liza unsatisfying.
Average Rating: 5.6/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 12
Hoffman's performance is strong, but the lack of character development and story arc makes Love Liza unsatisfying.
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 6,943
Movie Info
Love Liza is a psychological drama about a man trying to come to terms with his wife's suicide. Wilson Joel (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is searching for answers as to why his wife, Liza, killed herself. He is unable to bring himself to read the suicide note Liza left behind. Instead of facing his demons, Wilson becomes addicted to sniffing gasoline. Kathy Bates co-stars as Liza's mother. This film was written by the star's brother Gordy Hoffman, and directed by newcomer Todd Louiso. Love Liza was
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Cast
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Philip Seymour Hoffman
Wilson Joel -
Kathy Bates
Mary Ann Bankhead -
Jack Kehler
Denny -
Sarah Koskoff
Maura Haas -
Stephen Tobolowsky
Tom Bailey -
Erika Alexander
Brenda -
Kevin Breznahan
Jim -
Wayne Duvall
Shane -
Shannon Holt
Angela Ryan -
Terry Loughlin
High School Principal #... -
J.D. Walsh
Bern -
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Joanne Pankow
Emily -
Ann Morgan
Liza Joel -
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Love Liza Trailer & Photos
All Critics (95) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (40) | DVD (10)
Largely this sad story is handled with a morbidity and monotony that go nowhere -- certainly not toward understanding.
This is a film that succeeds on the strength of its acting, which is uniformly brilliant.
After a while, Hoffman's quirks and mannerisms, particularly his penchant for tearing up on cue -- things that seem so real in small doses -- become annoying and artificial.
A showcase for an actor's actor rather than as a drama that engages our hearts.
A bleak little film, bold and well-intentioned in its unrelenting gaze on sorrow, but it never involves your emotions.
The script isn't very good; not even someone as gifted as Hoffman (the actor) can make it work.
Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a strong performance that slightly elevates this minor film (written by his brother) above its narrow scope and small-scale production.
A bela performance de Hoffman é prejudicada pelo roteiro irregular, que o obriga a passar por mudanças súbitas e inexplicáveis, como se a necessidade de arrancar lágrimas do espectador fosse maior do que o interesse em buscar coesão para a história.
Lays grief on with a thickness that smothers.
Love Liza is a festival film that would have been better off staying on the festival circuit.
Love Liza doesn't leave us with redemptive speeches or somber homilies but with a hard-earned sense of something moving down deep, below the apparent emptiness
Despite the film's bizarre developments, Hoffman keeps us riveted with every painful nuance, unexpected flashes of dark comedy and the character's gripping humanity.
Pointless claptrap that wastes those fine performances in service of a story that's all too predictable.
Hoffman's performance provides the emotional release his brother's script and Louiso's direction try to deny us.
Hoffman is a terrific character actor.
The film skillfully taps into the desire to watch the slow burn in its entirety.
It comes the closest to any movie experience I've had in re-creating the aftermath of unexplained suicide.
Hoffman's unfettered performance beautifully captures Wilson's sad, manic quality.
Philip Seymour Hoffman carries the piece and makes what might have been an otherwise unbearable film oddly gratifying.
A low-key labor of love that strikes a very resonant chord.
While Hoffman's performance is great, the subject matter goes nowhere.
There seems to be little point to any of this, other than to afford Hoffman, one of Hollywood's best character actors, a chance to show extreme emotional range.
Audience Reviews for Love Liza
DIRECTED BY: Todd Louiso
Following the unexplained suicide of his wife Liza, website designer Wilson Joel (Philip Seymour Hoffman) turns to gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law (Kathy Bates).
Oh what a sad, depressing movie that was brilliantly done by Hoffman. Just so raw and honest. The more movies I see with Hoffman the more I love him. He is amazing. Kathy Bates is amazing she needs no praising. Just the two of them in this film were great. You feel so bad for his character and the downward spiral he is going down. Although it's a bit slow, the performances you get is well worth it.
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Top Critic
Following his wife's suicide, computer designer Wilson Joel (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is left with a goodbye note he cannot bring himself to read. His grief takes a peculiar turn when he becomes addicted to sniffing gasoline and becomes involved in flying toy planes just to feed his petrol habit.
Sometimes a film comes along that's not entirely classic stuff but gives an exceptional actor a showcase role and a chance to show what they can do. This is that very film for Hoffman. His performance is marvellous, shifting effortlessly from one emotion to another as he conveys the depths of his despair and emotional suffering. This is an actor displaying his full acting range and when his performance was lavished with superlatives, it deserved every one of them. The film itself is an offbeat little drama, that doesn't follow the conventions of it type. It has touches of brilliance and director Todd Louiso (in his debut) shows that he can confidently craft a good character study. The supporting roles are also well played by the ever-reliable Kathy Bates as Wilson's mother-in-law and especially Jack Kehler as Wilson's childlike friend Denny - who all but reprises his small role of The Dude's landlord in the "The Big Lebowski". The problem with the film though, is the pace. It's only 90mins long but feels longer somehow, as sharing a character's mental and emotional anguish isn't good for the time flying.
If sitting through a film where the main character is in a constant state of suffering and losing his grip on reality, doesn't appeal to you then avoid this, but by avoiding you would only miss out on an acting masterclass.