The Thing Called Love

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Poe W Oct 21, 2017 I'm not a country western music fan at all, but I am a huge fan of director Peter Bogdanovich. My affection for Bogdanovich extends beyond his work as a filmmaker, going back to his is days as a writer in the 1960s when he took the time to interview Hollywood directors such as John Ford, Howard Hawks, or Allan Dwan; filmmakers who were nearing the end of their prolific careers and considered talented journeymen filmmakers suited to producing mere entertainment. Bogdanovich helped bring legitimacy to these filmmakers as artists and as having a unique point of view. What I love about Bogdanovich as a filmmaker is that he brings a classic Hollywood sensibility to his films. His approach to filmmaking is clearly influenced by his love of classic film and by his conversations with all of these talented early pioneers of cinema. To "The Thing Called Love" in particular, it tells the story of a group of country music musicians, River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney, and Sandra Bullock, hoping to get their big break in Nashville. A bit of a love triangle occurs between lead characters, Mathis, Phoenix, and Mulroney, in a way that echo's many films of Howard Hawks, which Bogdanovich is quick to pick-up on. More than the story or the performances (which are good all around), I think I like most how Bogdanovich frames his shots. He shoots his film in a way that looks like old Hollywood. I don't know if the film would look all that different to the casual viewer, but he frames his shots in a way that you could see Hedy Lamar or Cary Grant being shot, which is terrific fun for cinephiles. Overall, as a tale of young folks trying to make it big and learning life lessons that eventually inform their songs and make them better musicians, it's a entertaining enough of a film, even if it falters at times, but watching the film as a heir to old Hollywood, "The Thing Called Love" is a is a real treat. See more

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The Thing Called Love

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