Themes: Death of a Partner, Living With AIDS, Suburban Dysfunction
Main Cast: Rosanna Arquette, Amanda Donohoe, Buck Henry, Salome Jens, Frank Langella
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This 1998 film about a dysfunctional Los Angeles family is directed by Bruce Wagner, on whose novel this is based. Everyone in this family has a problem. Perry (Frank Langella) is a successful TV producer who has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer just before his 60th birthday. His son Bertie (Andrew McCarthy) is an unsuccessful actor but a wonderful father with an adorable daughter and an ex-wife who is known to show up for visitations visibly stoned. Rachel (Rosanna Arquette), a niece who is now his adopted daughter, finds out that her father murdered her mother years ago before taking his own life. We follow these characters as they go through their share of hardships and love. We are given a lot to chew on, including death, adultery, AIDS, and deceit. Wagner got a lot of very good actors to appear in small roles, including Amanda Donohoe, Buck Henry, Elizabeth Perkins, and Ed Begley Jr.. Prior to this film Wagner was chiefly known as the writer of Wild Palms and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. ~ Brett Harrison, All Movie Guide
Review
Ambitious to a fault, Bruce Wagner's feature debut -- adapted from his own novel -- is a sprawling, Hollywood-literate ensemble pic that tackles such weighty issues as death, spirituality, and success, but fails to find a consistent tone for the proceedings. Predetermining Six Feet Under's mix of morbidity, sex, and sarcasm by a couple years, I'm Losing You drops pop-culture references and life-threatening illnesses within the same scene -- more often than not, within the same sex scene. It's like Magnolia without the redemption, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's hard to take a vested interest in any of the affluent, abrasive characters, especially Rosanna Arquette's unpredictable adoptive daughter character, whose quest for faith seems more of an arbitrary device than a deep-seated yearning. Best in the cast (as usual) is Elizabeth Perkins, whose AIDS-stricken single mom Aubrey strikes the perfect note of sardonic humor in the face of despair. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Theadora Van Runkle - Costume Designer, Jim LaClair - First Assistant Director, Bruce Wagner - Director, Janice Hampton - Editor, David Cronenberg - Executive Producer, John Dunning - Executive Producer, Andre Link - Executive Producer, Michael Paseornek - Executive Producer, Jeff Sackman - Executive Producer, Daniel Catan - Composer (Music Score), Richard Sherman - Production Designer, Rob Sweeney - Cinematographer, Pamela Koffler - Producer, Christine Vachon - Producer, James Samson - Sound/Sound Designer, Bruce Wagner - Screenwriter, Bruce Wagner - Book Author
