DVD Review: Love Liza (A-)

Love Liza (2002)
Directed by Todd Louiso
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Jack Kehler and Stephen Tobolowsky
MPAA: R
Grade: A-

Review by Scott Standish

One of the darker films of 2002, Love Liza shows just how bad things can get for someone dealing with the loss of a spouse. It is a showcase for the brilliant actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and he does not disappoint. Hoffman's brother Gordy wrote the screenplay to this tragic film and its done with intelligence and at times, very dark humor.

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Wilson Joel, a hot shot web designer that completely falls apart in the wake of his wife's suicide. To escape he huffs gas almost constantly, completely obliterating his senses as he descends into a hallucinatory funk. He avoids his mother in law as she attempts to come to grips with the loss of her child. Constantly high on gas fumes Wilson's life spirals into complete darkness.

Hoffman's performance in Love Liza is Oscar worthy and Kathy Bates is excellent as the mother in law that morphs between anger and sadness at the drop of a hat. Directed by Todd Louiso (the actor who played Dick in Stephen Frear's fine film High Fidelity) this is recommended for those with a high tolerance for movies about substance abuse only.

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