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ID # 31494
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Other
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Release Date |
12-31-69
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| Audition Date |
12-31-69
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12-31-69
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| Shoot Date |
12-31-69
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1
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Porter, meanwhile, sits and marvels at the portrayal of his loyal and long-suffering wife, Linda (=/celebs/celeb (Costume designer Janty Yates is one of the film's real stars
But the structure they've chosen to tell his story is clunky and self-conscious
The filmmakers have said "De-Lovely" was made in the spirit of Porter's life and tunes, and not a pure biography
Guiding him through this retrospective is a mystery man named Gabe â€â€? an all-too literal reference to the archangel Gabriel â€â€? played by =/celebs/celeb
We never really understand what drove Porter to write (fame? money? the satisfaction of self-expression?) or what kept him and Linda together for all those years
Director =/celebs/celeb We are merely told that she loved his music â€â€? and who doesn't?
Purists will probably recoil at the very idea of having contemporary pop stars sing classic Porter tunes aspx?m=42125 class="art">Life As a House," alternates awkwardly between the dying Porter, sitting in an empty theater watching his life unfold before him on stage, and flashbacks to the events themselves Mayer (=/celebs/celeb aspx?c=156794 class="art">Irwin Winkler and screenwriter =/celebs/celeb 'De-Lovely' Is Mostly Off-Key
<EM>Christy Lemire</EM>
<EM>AP Entertainment Writer</EM>
What a horrible irony that "=/movies/movie
Judd, however, apparently did not acquire the musical talent of her mother, =/artist/?artist=709485 class="art">Naomi, and sister, =/artist/?artist=101194 class="art">Wynonna The tactic might seem like a transparent ploy to pull young people in to see a film about someone who was an influential musical force far before the advent of "TRL
Seeing Morissette belt out "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love," Costello jerk and bop his way through "Let's Misbehave" and Crow croon "Begin the Beguine," all decked out in period garb, is an unusual and surreal experience This might have been purposeful, but it's especially glaring compared to the people blessed with musical prowess with whom she shares the screen )
Despite its attempts at innovation, "De-Lovely" falls into some of the same traps as most biopics: In trying to hit all the highlights of a famous person's life, the result often feels too cursory aspx?c=36888 class="art">Kevin Kline, playing the composer with wit, style and wonderful panache; the music of Porter, performed by such eclectic singers as =/artist/?artist=100216 class="art">Elvis Costello, =/artist/?artist=100015 class="art">Alanis Morissette and =/artist/?artist=100548 class="art">Sheryl Crow; lavish, evocative settings; and a mind-boggling array of dapper and to-die-for clothing aspx?m=555276 class="art">De-Lovely," the story of =/artist/?artist=106557 class="art">Cole Porter, should be so off-key aspx?c=360869 class="art">Ashley Judd), who knew of his dalliances with beautiful, younger men, but stood by him and served as his platonic muse
Again, this may have been intentionally bad, but that doesn't make it any easier to sit through
"God, she was beautiful," Porter proclaims more than once And she was, as played by Judd, whose classic looks are a perfect fit for the pin curls and elegant styles of the Jazz Age
Winkler, who previously directed Kline in the weepy 2001 melodrama "=/movies/movie Using these performances to punctuate a documentary might have been preferable
aspx?c=273407 class="art">Jay Cocks (who co-wrote "=/movies/movie aspx?c=173307 class="art">Jonathan Pryce, who's relegated to sitting next to Porter and repeatedly saying something along the lines of, "It's your life, Cole," as if we couldn't ascertain that for ourselves aspx?m=27501 class="art">Gangs of New York") don't shy away from Porter's homosexuality, unlike some safer depictions of the composer, who died in 1964 after decades of defining American pop music aspx?c=534331 class="art">Peter Polycarpou) frantically hamming it up with a cast of thousands to "Be a Clown" on the MGM lot
Speaking of glaring, one of the few truly painful musical numbers consists of Porter and Louis B While this is one of the better performances of her wildly inconsistent career, she cannot sing and should not
All the components are there: a versatile star, =/celebs/celeb
Unfortunately, "De-Lovely" isn't nearly as delightful or delicious as it looks " But this is actually one of the film's few successful risks
