Themes: Dangerous Attraction, Crime Sprees, Lovers on the Lam
Main Cast: Carmine Giovinazzo, Monet Mazur, Vincent Ventresca, Steven Bauer, Majandra Delfino
Release Year: 2001
Country: US
Run Time: 113 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A couple drifts into crime for a few laughs and some fast money, but before long they discover they've gotten in too deep. Georgia (Money Mazur) is a beautiful but unstable woman who claims to be under eighteen and still living at home, though it's hard to say if she's telling the truth. One night, while drinking with friends, she meets Paul (Carmine Giovinazzo), a janitor who intervenes when a drunk propositioning Georgia doesn't seem willing to take no for an answer. Paul and Georgia are both looking for kicks, but not in the usual manner; for fun and profit, Georgia teases men until they make their move, then turns her emotions 180 degrees and screams for help. Paul then comes into the picture, pretending to be the Knight In Shining Armor, and roughs the men up; he takes their wallets in the process, and Paul and Georgia split the money. This small-time con works well enough but gets old before long, and the pair plans a more elaborate scam involving an auto accident. Their target turns out to be a music business executive, Marshal (Vincent Ventresca), who sees through them almost immediately. He can tell, however, that they have a way with a con, and he hires them to work for his record label. Before long, drugs and booze are taking their toll on Paul, while Georgia balks at a blackmail scheme involving city officials who have blocked a building project Marshal is backing. The Learning Curve was the first feature from Eric Schwab, who worked as a second unit director on several films for Brian DePalma. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
James Eckhouse - Mr. Stevens; Stephen Burleigh - Councilman Sherman; Jack Laufer - Councilman Reynolds; Michael Horton - Councilman Nolan
Credit
Susan Bluestein - Casting, Edward Licht - First Assistant Director, Eric Schwab - Director, Adam Frank - Editor, Michael Hofstein - Executive Producer, Marget Quitter - Executive Producer, D. Szeeto - Executive Producer, Edward Licht - Line Producer, Ted Lowe - Musical Direction/Supervision, Nya Patrinos - Production Designer, Michael Hofstein - Cinematographer, Oscar Delgado - Producer, Carey Westberg - Producer, Puntip Limrumgroj - Producer, Eric Schwab - Screenwriter
The Learning Curve is a 2001thriller film about two Los Angeles nightclub scenesters who team up as con artists. It explores themes of ruthless ambition and its consequences. The film was directed by Eric Schwab, and stars Carmine Giovinazzo, Norbert Weisser, and Monet Mazur. It stars Monet Mazur and Carmine Giovinazzo as a couple that meet as a result of Giovinazzo's character Paul Cleveland fighting off Georgia's (played by Mazur) attacker. A strong bond develops between the two and the ambition of Cleveland begins to surface rapidly as he starts to participate in scams with Georgia to raise enough money to leave his job as a hospital orderly behind. When they try to scam Marshal (played by Vincent Ventresca) by staging a road accident using Georgia as a distracting female hitchhiker it seems that they have struck a very dangerous individual as he produces a gun and kidnaps them. Marshal is head of a record company and controls a very large financial empire and he takes Paul and Georgia to his offices where he eventually makes them an offer and congratulates them for their enterprise. The ambitious Cleveland then offers his further services to Marshal in a similar way to Bud Fox approaching Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street The similarities between Gordon Gekko and Marshal are apparent as he begins to reward Cleveland for tasks accomplished. The empty warehouse that he gives them for Georgia and Paul to freely decorate and furnish is a similarity. Paul soon begins to become obsessed with how much Marshal needs him and begins to neglect Georgia in preference to Marshal's lucrative offers. Georgia also begins to become disenchanted with their lifestyle and this becomes the theme for the rest of the film as her ethics begin to clash with Marshal's organisation and Paul's trance like obedience to him.
