Such a frustrating disappointment

From my favorite movies..

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

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.

Okay...Well...Ummm...I really don't know what to say. River Phoenix looked BAD in this film, so I'll always try to remember his "brighter" days such as when he did the movie, "Running on Empty." I know how hard it is for people to watch this flick and think highly of it, but everyone should really know what a musical genius River was. I also found it ironic that Johnny Cash was singing in the background in this film a couple of times, and then years later, River's own brother portrays Cash! Very strange, folks, but bitter-sweet.I loved some of the music, and especially the song, "Bad Dreams" sung by Samantha. I want to know the lyrics to this song, but when I look for them, they are nowhere to be found. I wonder if anyone ever did remake this song. It has such powerful lyrics, and I love the melody.When my 13-year-old daughter saw River, she said, "Wow; he had Johnny Depp's high cheekbones, and a touch of Leonardo's style with Kevin Bacon's nose. What perception! It's just all so sad that he had to follow the Hollywood crowd by taking too many drugs. (Ironic that he died just outside of Depp's nightclub.) Also, if I were Sandra, I'd stay as far away from parts that call for singing as I could. She's an incredible actress, but she needs to just sing while she's alone or in the shower! Dermont used more emotion in this film than an anything else I've ever seen him in. That was surprising. Let's keep him away from the mic too! Anyway, I know my comment does not cover any of the plot, but there was not a whole lot of depth to it. It's too bad it was the last movie River did before his untimely death. I bet the cast felt horrible when they found out. I do believe he was headed for bigger things with his acting and music, but we'll never know now... unfortunately.

I so totally LOVE this movie!! The first one I ever saw starring River Phoenix. Since then, I've done everything I can to watch his other films. Well, I've only seen two more: A night in the life of Jimmy Reardon, and parts of My own private Idaho... Anyway; enjoy this movie! It goes straight to the heart! And it'll stay there, I promise! The film was adorable, and all actors and actresses did an amazing job. I've seen some documentaries on Star! about it... And every time somebody talks about Rio,I totally melt. Because I love him. He seemed to be a caring and loving person, yet a bit wild (in a good way). And I'll give him and all the other actors and actresses big applause.

I just caught this movie 13 years after it's release but, what a great story. I thought the real country stars who had cameos or had roles made it more legitimate. It was funny to see the musical side of Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney and Sandra Bullock after all these years. Samantha Mathis is underrated. She was in a recent episode of House. I have always been a fan of Dermot Mulroney but, now I have a greater appreciation of his versatility.I haven't seen too much of River Pheonix's work so, this was a treat.The insight into Nashville and the struggle for writers and musicians was fascinating.