Search - A Pyromaniac's Love Story on DVD

Not your every day romance

Studebaker Hoch, billythemtn@geocit | Santa Barbara, CA | 12/05/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Offbeat, hilarious romantic comedy populated by weird, and weirder, characters. Avoids the typical cliches and expected characters, with surprisingly good acting from everyone. If only Hollywood made more like this...."

More Romance Than Comedy

Only-A-Child | 12/10/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The title is the funniest thing about "A Pyromaniac's Love Story", this so-called romantic comedy has a lot more romance than comedy. The movie starts out as another tale of unrequited love as Sergio (John Leguizamo) explains in voice-over that he has long been in love with Hattie (Sadie Frost), the waitress daughter of a diner owner who thinks of him as just a friend.

Although Sergio and Hattie are the movie's core romantic couple, there are two minor romances going on at the same time. The gimmick of "A Pyromaniac's Love Story" is a series of mix-ups involving all three couples. The confusion could be easily cleared up if the persons in each couple managed to communicate with each other but the only communication is between couples. This might be very funny if the script was well written and clever but instead it is one of those movie situations which is only credible if you believe that all the characters are morons. So you have a decent love story with good messages about communicating and taking risks to declare your love which gets buried under a lot of poorly written slop.

"A Pyromaniac's Love Story" tries to be offbeat and whimsical in the style of "Benny and Joon" and although the two scores are almost identical it is never able to achieve the same effect. In part this is because William Baldwin's over-the-top performance is painful in relation to how understated everything else is, and Sergio has more screen time with him than with Hattie. A poor choice because Sadie Frost is the strongest member of the cast and has good chemistry with Leguizamo.

If you are looking for a way to make this movie interesting, I suggest that you watch it along with "Bram Stoker's Dracula" which was made 2 years earlier. In that film Frost (who is British) gave a great over-the-top performance as Lucy, a flirty and glamorous London socialite. Yet she is absolutely authentic as an earthy American waitress in "A Pyromaniac's Love Story" (accent, mannerisms, look). You would never guess that it could be the same actress. Frost is one of those talents who you wish had been given more opportunities.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child."

Best

ceyda | istanbul,turkey | 11/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"ýt ýs the most beautýful movýe that ý've ever seen.ý loved ýt very much.because ý love william baldwin :))) and ý lýke to see the movýe agaýn"