Love at Large (1990)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writer (WGA):

Alan Rudolph (written by)

Release Date:

9 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Thriller

Plot:

A down and out private detective (Berenger) is asked by a beautiful woman (Archer) to follow her lover...

Plot Keywords:

Private Detective | Train | Mistaken Identity | Detective Agency | Used Car Dealer

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Harry Dobbs
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Stella Wynkowski
Anne Archer	...	Miss Dolan
Kate Capshaw	...	Mrs. Ellen McGraw
Annette O'Toole	...	Mrs. King
Ted Levine	...	Frederick King / James McGraw
Ann Magnuson	...	Doris
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Art the Farmhand
Ruby Dee	...	Corrine Dart
Barry Miller	...	Marty
Neil Young	...	Rick
Meegan Lee Ochs	...	Bellhop
Gailard Sartain	...	Taxi Driver
Robert Gould	...	Tavern Bartender
Dirk Blocker	...	Hiram Culver, Used-Car Salesman

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bend, Oregon, USA

Trivia:

Harry's car is a 1974 AMC Ambassador. Stella's car is a 1964 1/2 Plymouth Barracuda (which has the largest backlight ever fitted to an American-made car).

Quotes:

Stella Wynkowski: Why do you think he has two families?
Harry Dobbs: Most bigamists do.

Soundtrack:

Searching For A Heart

This "Love" Scores Large

This is a love story in the format of a comedy. Or, more appropriately, a love quest story. Like the Detective saga it parodies, the characters are on a search for absolution. But in Rudolph's screwball world where, for instance, every car is at least 20 years old and carries the model name "classic", all of this light madness works toward one, central theme: love is almost impossible to find, but, oh, so much fun to search for.

All the characters that are in long-term relationships are either breaking up, cheating on each other, or completely self-deluded. The other characters are in perpetual seek mode, from Miss Dolan who flirts and swoons wherever her whimsical heart takes her, to Stella, who studies "The Love Manual" and bitterly says things like, "the one who is in love always waits. It's the lover's signature."

Ultimately, this makes for light, entertaining fare. There aren't many bellylaughs, but there is a continual glow and a delightful, endearing glee about the film. Director Rudolph's cinematic sense is so keen that everything seems larger than it is, and more meaningful.