Romantic comedies are so frequently chewed up and spit out of the Hollywood box office machine lately, that it’s become hard to distinguish them apart. Always gushing with the hopeful ideas of a quirky, unexpected romance, they sometimes seem to exploit any remains of the old sentiment of “true love”. “The Neighbor”, a new film by Eddie O’Flaherty, cannot be assigned to any other genre, but somehow the acting and use of setting in this film have allowed it to allude to more than just the average ooze of love, life and how funny it can all be.
Matthew Modine (“Le Divorce”, “Birdy”), portrays the free-spirited artist, Jeff, who lives upstairs. Architect by day, painter by night, Jeff is introduced as the dreamer of the film, who at times is challenged by his own tender heart. Jeff has recently divorced but his obvious jealousy of his ex-wife’s new relationship is painfully entertaining to watch. Jeff’s 14-year-old daughter played by Gina Mantegna (daughter of actor Joe Mantegna) shines as an insightful and humorous old soul in the film. The devotion she shows for her father teamed with her teenage sass allows for an underlying love story between family.
Christine, played by French film star, Michele Laroque, lives below Jeff. Her character wasn’t an overall surprise in the film, as she portrayed the powerful, sexy businesswoman who sets out to take over the world, in a sense, as a real estate developer. With all clichés aside, Laroque was able to put a charming spin on what would have been a character today’s film audience knows all too well. Modine and Laroque should be given credit for their ability to transform this old formula into an entertaining story.
Although never truly topping the Hollywood “A list”, Modine has remained true to his timely and natural delivery and his ability to continually connect to a sometimes hard-to-reach audience. We were crushed with his character in some scenes, and uplifted in others. Aside from his boy-next-door charm, Modine proves himself once again to be able to carry a film with his solid acting abilities.
Ultimately, Christine’s (Laroque) goal in this film is to evict Jeff from upstairs so she can continue on with her plans to renovate and expand her apartment. Shot over five weeks during the early part of 2007, the film unravels into a cat and mouse chase whose storyline is held up with confident acting and extraordinary use of the downtown Los Angeles skyline. The city was used as a surprisingly down-to-earth backdrop of corner stores, and familiar faces. Skyscrapers, bustling streets and impatient car horns magically portrayed Los Angeles as cozy, theatrical and romantic.
Hot off his critically acclaimed feature length directorial debut, “Fighting Tommy Riley”, Eddie O’Flaherty helms the film, which also stars Ed Quinn (“Eureka”), Ann Cusack (“Stigmata”), Patrick Breen (“Boson Legal”), Richard Kind (“Spin City”), Meredith Scott Lynn (“Legally Blonde”) and David Youse (“Chicago Hope”).
Adapted from the 2003 French TV show, “Mon voisin du dessus” (which also starred Laroque) by O’Flaherty and J.P. Davis, “The Neighbor”, although daunting at times with sappiness, was more often funny and charming. The cast excelled in character and remained deeply amusing, even as the plot grew shallow.
“The Neighbor” is running in limited release now until August 22nd with the DVD available on September 23rd.
www.theneighborfilm.com
www.myspace.com/theneighhbormovie
