Thanks for the memories!

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

It is a performances centric movie

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Flighty, juvenile romantic concoction, written by Tom Sierchio as if he'd just overdosed on television movies-of-the-week. Marisa Tomei plays a broken-hearted--though incredibly perky--waitress in Minnesota who finds love again with busboy Christian Slater, a guy victimized by the proverbial Hollywood heart condition. Co-producer Tony Bill is also responsible for the film's flaccid direction; he's awfully fond of 'cute' montages and loving gazes in close-up, and yet allows a potential rape sequence to drag on for far too long. The star-leads are absolutely unbelievable in these roles, while Rosie Perez is wasted in a bland "best friend" bit (another cliché). Drippy, dreary, unmoving, and tame. *1/2 from ****

This is the only Page with negative comments on this "GEM". Who are these people? Their comments are so ludicrous, one even talking about heart surgery...Duh! This is a modern Urban Fairy Tale; that's what the late Gene Siskel called it. But it's also an extremely touching story of true love. So what if his scars don't look right. The story is the thing here! It's a wonderful story, and only made better by the performances of the cast. Marissa Tomei has never been better and is so believable as Caroline. So is Christian Slater in what I would call his best role ever. Rosie Perez adds a touch of sass and the rest are equally believable. I watched them film this movie on my way to work, where the house/set was in Northeast Minneapolis. I passed the vans and trailers every day for a few months. I thought this would ruin the film for me, but when Marissa appears on screen she takes you away into her world. This should have had some Oscar nominations, but those voters don't see every movie. They don't know what's going on. If you want to enjoy a good movie, buy or rent this one.

Christian Slater is a young man with rather freakishly long hair who has been raised in an orphanage and now works as a dishwasher in a Minneapolis diner. He rarely speaks and keeps to himself. Marisa Tomei is a waitress in said diner, and Rosie Perez is her earthy but sympathetic sidekick. Slater has developed a crush on Tomei and follows her around at a discreet distance, so when she's attacked while walking home from work he's able to rescue her. Later, her attackers wreak an unpleasant revenge on Slater. All of this brings the two of them together. Slater lets her know, in his recedent way, that he adores her, and she responds by falling for this shy, silent kinda guy. Their love is, how you say, consummated. But there is a problem. Slater was told by the nuns at his orphanage that he's had a heart transplant, with the donor being a baboon. Whether that's the case or not, his heart is now weakened and needs a booster shot, which Slater is unready to undergo. Eventually his heart, simian or hominid, beats its last, but not before he's had a heck of a good time exchanging tender gestures and body fluids with Marisa Tomei.I can't really tell if this is a particularly well-done example of the genre because I watch so few examples. I could see most of the developments coming, and so would you. And the crooning of Johnny Mathis and Nat "King" Cole's mystical pop song, "Nature Boy," from the 1950s really wasn't necessary. We get the picture. Slater is quiet, shy, and mysterious -- like Montgomery Clift in "A Place in the Sun" -- the sort of man who attracts women, but only in the movies. In real life I would imagine that he would absorb the attention of women who were chiefly neurotics. A research plan for young men who DON'T look like Montgomery Clift: Get a menial job, speak to no one, don't meet anyone's gaze, and see what happens. If you save a co-worker from rape, you might get a Thank You note and a box of chocolates.Well, I've made sufficient fun of the movie and it's a bit unfair, like stretching the iridescent wings of a butterfly on the rack. It's supposed to be a sweet and endearing story, and it is, even if it's some mutant form of Beauty and the Beast. At least I was able to get into it, though I hadn't expected to.The "Nature Boy" business was an irritant, and the baboon heart slipped motionlessly by me, but Slater is quietly effective in the role and Marisa Tomei is quite good and thoroughly believable as a sensitive young woman who serves ham and eggs and reads "Catch 22" at home. Rosie Perez is always a kick in the pants too.The film stands as a beacon of hope for those of us who trudge off to work, looking exactly the way we feel, and yet suffer from an intense desire to find love in an unpromising milieu. Or anywhere else.

This movie captured the essence of the day. Although this film was suppose to be depicted from a small town in Minnesota, I have come to learn that this journey actually began long ago in the heart and mind of a young boy who grew up in Northern New Jersey. This young man grew up in the footsteps of what would later become the backyard of what is today's "Soprano's environment". Writer Tom Sierchio searched deep into his childhood experiences, thoughts and background to come up with this heartfelt story of a young man with a heart of wonderment. Mr. Serchio helped the viewers understand the various levels of intelligences and the heart which embodies this movie. Mr. Serchio developed a very humble and sincere plot to develop the character of this young man named Adam portrayed by Christian Slater. Mr Slater was outstanding in bringing us the essence of this young man's heart and soul. In addition to the excellent acting of Mr. Slater, we have a young Marisa Tomei stealing our hearts by opening up her soul to this young Adam's purity. The movie is a piece of history and should be cherished by all those who remember the days.Hats off to Mr. Serchio and the entire crew!