Love After Love (2017) User Reviews (27)

Mixed Bag Here for Me

[larrys3 · 6/10 · 25 July 2018]

As many reviewers have noted , this movie jumps from one time sequence to another and leaves it up to the viewer to basically figure it out. I'm not a big fan of this style of first time director Russell Harbaugh, and with the film's many flawed and unlikable characters, I'm surprised I'm not giving this a 1 or a 2 rating as well.

However, I did find some strong acting here led by the seemingly ageless Andie MacDowell, and some dramatic tension among this dysfunctional family which I found interesting enough to stay with the movie, although part of me wanted to indeed bail.

Overall, a mixed bag for me here, but I can see how many will be turned off by some of the unlikable characters and their crappy actions.

An Interesting Mish-Mash

[Moviegoer19 · 5/10 · 1 April 2018]

I have seen enough films at this point to know while watching it that this was one of the first films Russell Harbaugh directed. I knew this because first, there were several instances in which scenes interrupted other scenes without rhyme or reason. This implies that several scenes were, in my opinion, cut short. There were also times when the camera lingered too long on a subject, e.g., Andie McDowell. Related to this was the omission of what probably should have been included, specifically, the consequences of every time Chris O'Dowd's character, Nicholas, cheated on his then lover. In both cases, he just moved along, and whatever consequence there was, was minimal, and the film just progressed to his next involvement.

Then, there is the story line. I kept seeing an elephant in the room that no one was talking about and that was the Oedipal thing going on between Andie M. and Chris O'Dowd, as mother and son. Perhaps another film will grow out of this subject that was glaringly there and ignored. It almost felt as if the writer/director couldn't decide what should be the main story line, the emotional aftermath of the death of a family's husband/father, or the Oedipal relationship between the mother and son of that family which was highlighted once the father died.

Overall, as someone who can never watch too many "relationship movies", I am glad I saw Love After Love and look forward to Harbaugh's next.

Great for critics, for viewers not so much.

[ikanboy · 6/10 · 19 October 2018]

The movie purports to be about grief. What we see is all the dysfunction expressed as projected rage, alcoholism, and all the function as "getting on with it." What we don't see is how the "grief" has transformed these people. We never get to see them transform. For all we know we may not be seeing just grief but personalities that have always been that way. It ain't pretty for the son's who dissolve into childishness, and it's hopeful for the widow who hews to maturity. It certainly does not paint a nice picture of liberal elitists.

Disapointing to say the least

[janthony-8 · 1/10 · 16 September 2018]

The Director and the film editor should consider alternative careers. Kudos to Andie McDowell for putting herself out there as a gorgeous, magnificant mature woman. A better vehicle for her talents would have been appreciated. No theme, no character development. Writing was insipid. There wasn't one character for whom you could feel connected with even suspending disbelief.. Two hours wasted.

Disappointing and over-hyped

[cageyk-46578 · 2/10 · 25 July 2018]

Watched this yesterday and came away with questions, the biggest of which was why did I ever watch it in the first place. Filmed like a reality show, meandering here and there and could have only been worse if a hand-held camera had been used. Definitely did not like the director's technique or style. Never found out what the father/husband's malady was, found it hard to determine who Nicholas' latest sex partner was, found the segue from wake to Nicholas' wedding engagement announcement dinner was confusing. The only good thing I can say about this film is Chris O'Dowd's well acted performance as the stupid-beyond-words and for me, loathsome Nicholas. He did such a good job that I doubt I could ever like him in any future character portrayals.

Sad excuse for a 'movie'

[keenast · 1/10 · 20 August 2018]

There is really nothing there that's worth watching or listening to! Even the music sucks and doesn't make a ny sense. Story is amazingly blah - unfortunately as soon as I see that somehow 'Sundance' is part of the production I'm not expecting anything, or let's say exactly something like that. And what about this insane standup comedy scene? Who writes stuff like that?

I wanted to like it, but it was too dysfunctional

[lylenem · 1/10 · 29 April 2018]

I had hoped for the story of a widow rebuilding her life and finding love again. However, it was a disjointed production primarily featuring the dysfunctional people around her. It was difficult to stay until the end.

Lovely & thoughtful film - how did people have trouble following it??

[bowieec · 9/10 · 20 July 2019]

Slightly esoteric and lovely essay on how family members process grief and move on from it -- or not. I've read some of the personal reviews and I wonder how viewers had such a hard time understanding what was going on and puting it all together. This movie is NOT James Joyce or William Faulkner stream of consciousness. The time changes follow the narrative and inform the viewer about how a character got where they are or shows where they may be headed. This film examines how grief affects different members of this family and how it can exacerbate their own flaws and failed relationships. Andie MacDowell really shines here. I thought it was a lovely film and a great debut by the director.

Pretentious, horrific drek

[bill-17550 · 1/10 · 14 January 2019]

Still mourning a loss myself, I am drawn to films which feature the topic of loss and grief, searching for at least one which does at least a decent (hopefully good to great) job of being touching, poignant, sad yet perhaps life-affirming somehow. I'm still looking. And this was perhaps the worst of the lot. It opens with Andie MacDowell, who I've always been a big fan of, joking with her son about how great his (terminally ill) dad is in bed. ha ha ha. Yeah that's what every son wants to hear from his mom about his dying dad; how appropriate. It continues with scintillating dialogue like "I'm not happy but I'm happy." "Yeah, I'm happy, but not all the time." Oh and Andie MacDowell lets out a huge laugh at something her son says but we've no idea why. Wow I was on the edge of my seat. You wouldn't think it could go downhill from there, but it does..or at least never rises from the bottom, with plenty more dialogue which will bore you to tears, plenty of cursing, a little crotch-grabbing, even an out and out nude scene. Stay classy Hollywood. And the whole time-shift thing was pointless, a desperate attempt to be "artistic" I suppose. Epic fail. Honestly, a completely vomit-inducing work on every front. It's a shame we can't give negative stars.

All over the place, it's not worth the time...

[DreamyOneNumber1 · 1/10 · 15 April 2018]

We had hopes for this film, but it seems that it was all over the place. While we're fans of Andie MacDowell and some of the other cast members, the writing and directing was so poor that it brought down the actors, through no fault of their own. Of eight of us, nobody could relate to any of the characters. The writing seemed all over the place. We're not exactly sure what the real issues were - if there was just one major problem that pulled everything down, or if everything was off in and of itself - but either way it was a waste of time and money. There are some pretty good movies around. This was no one of them.

Too slow, maybe I'm just not a big "artsy" film fan?

[SaraSaysStuff · 2/10 · 5 April 2018]

Too slow, maybe I'm just not a big "artsy" film fan? Couldn't really feel for any of the characters. When I read the synopsis before renting, I read the words "Chris O'Dowd" and "funny", so thought about giving it a try. It's not all that funny. I just wasn't into it.

pretentious bunk

[cdcrb · 1/10 · 9 April 2018]

I hardly ever rate a movie 1 star, but here is one. I hated every character, the non story, everything, really. andie MacDowell still looks beautiful, I must say. unfortunately, movie goers need more.

One of the worst movies ever

[ronnevelowlcsw · 1/10 · 29 April 2018]

I hated this film. It was confusing, jumping around chronologically, didn't explain what happened in between scenes, unredeeming characters, and confusing roles. So disappointed.

Awful movie.

[njeanblair · 29 April 2018]

This is one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. I have nothing good to say about it. In retrospect, I wonder if it was made to reboot Andie MacDowell's movie career. If so, it was a poor choice because the role and her acting in it were terrible. From beginning to weird end it was a major misfire. It does not deserve even one star.

Not for dumb people

[claudioszynkier · 9/10 · 6 August 2018]

Film in the cadence of the life, the life lived in the chosen memories. If people complain about the cuts and ellipses and the "lack of info" in between scenes better go watch Thor, Captain America or some similar idiocy. Great work of art.

Disjointed & Sloppy

[jill-89556 · 1/10 · 27 April 2018]

I was hoping to be able to lose myself in this film but alas all I wanted to do was leave the theater. Hung it but it never got better. All of the characters were so flawed that it just wasn't believable!

An accurate, unsentimental look at grief

[dangelo-diane · 4/10 · 27 April 2018]

Two minor quibbles: Why do people in these kinds of character study films always have glamorous jobs? And the sheer number of sex scenes detracts from the film. Most people Andie MacDowell's age don't look anything like Andie MacDowell. Otherwise, well done.

pretentious, "artsy"

[jrwygant · 3/10 · 5 December 2018]

I saw that Metacritic gave it a much higher score and I really like Chris O'Dowd, but I found this film pretentious and embarrassingly disconnected from reality. Drippingly self-indulgent. My wife and I gave it up after 20 minutes. I would not want to know these characters.

Not worth anything!

[tedherman-42934 · 28 February 2019]

This is not a bad movie. It is an atrocious movie! A complete and utter waste of time, celluloid and popcorn. If only there was a way to regain the time spent watching this worthless drivel. Any fool who believes there is any merit to this movie is severely deluded and quite possibly entirely demented.

So boring

[davebert-80217 · 1/10 · 22 July 2019]

I stumbled across this while trying to find a film on Sky that would make me have to think and concentrate, this seemed a good shout by the synopsis, it wasn't, it was set up as a dramatic tear-jerker, it wasn't, I just found myself bored, there was no character depth, Chris O'Dowd's acting was good but his character was reckless and unlikeable, Andie's character didn't seem to be mourning her husbands death one iota, very strange directing. theres a lot I could say but its all been covered in other users reviews one to avoid

Confused.com

[suckmydag · 2/10 · 18 April 2020]

I had trouble making head or tail with what was actually going on , trying to work out who's who's and who's with who is hard enough plus the scenes jump about a fair bit not good but Andy McDowell stands out acting wise the one positive

Raw, uncomfortable, and profoundly moving

[bzlproductions · 10/10 · 1 October 2018]

Russell Harbaugh's debut feature is a raw and uncomfortable portrait of a family coping with loss. Its accurate depiction of grief and family drama is profoundly moving and Chris Teague's 16mm cinematography layers the performances with a beautiful degree of intimacy. Essential viewing for fans of independent films and powerhouse performances!

So disappointing

[hilary_mae-912-80561 · 3/10 · 25 July 2021]

The only character I liked, died in the first part of the movie. The rest were unlikeable people. In fact I found several utterly loathsome. The disjointed presentation of this tale made it all so much worse. I kept hoping it would improve, but alas, it did not. I chose not to finish watching the movie, because I didn't want to go into a coma.

A finely wrought drama

[JohnDeSando · 23 April 2018]

Love After Love should continue the prepositional phrase forever because the major players in this finely wrought drama are forever looking for love or grieving about it. Matriarch Suzanne (Andie MacDowell) loses her husband and wanders around her two sons almost in a fog of grief but maybe more in puzzlement about how they are working out their fates without her influence.

They are flawed adults, like womanizing son, Nicholas (Chris O'Dowd), who has a conflicted intimacy with his mother but more with himself as he wanders among showing the greatest puppy eyes in cinema. He is an emblem of the players who never seem at peace with their current or future partners.

This episodic, fragmented story, whose jumping back and forth in time is occasionally disorienting, in its unsympathetic way, reveals the puzzle-like lives of sentient beings who witness death, go through its mourning rituals, and search for love, carnal and otherwise, in, it would seem, a hedge against oblivion.

Co-writer/director Russell Harbaugh, in a promising debut, navigates smoothly in rough affective waters, saving the best scenes by interspersing them among some fairly quotidian events that play naturally to the death motif. When alcoholic son, Chris (James Adomian), does a standup about the difficulty of Jesus competing with his Father, the metaphor is not lost but not heavy-handed either. Both sons are struggling to compete with dad and themselves.

Love After Love is a satisfying drama about all of us in families we know have dysfunctional working parts but who are on the greatest quest of all for love after love, after love, after love, forever.

Why?!

[wivavog · 1/10 · 1 October 2020]

Just sad for the fact this movie even exist..... Even more sad to see Chris O'Dowd fully wasting his career. You are a funny comedian get over it...... The IT Crowd is easily his best work and best fit. They could of ran that show for 20 seasons and everyone of them would be better off for it. Chris O'Dowd decided he wants to be a terrible drama actor. Vs A hilarious naturally funny comedian. Just like his counter part from the IT show. Vs make money , make millions laugh. Lets quit so i can make a dime a dozen travel show. That leaves zero impact and doesn't embrace a single talent of his. I'm pretty sure they prematurely ended the IT Crowd to do solo gigs. What a train wreck for ALL OF THEM. The boss is on in the shadows garbage on hulu. Another great waste of talent. If they chose those paths freely I cant fault them. But if the industry , hollywood , tv politics , streaming companies ect that lead them down these roads. Then that's so beyond wrong. Not only did they get robbed of great opportunity. We lost 4 good comedians that never saw a role to make us laugh again. Now to much time has passed of course. I would of loved to seen the IT Crowd come back if that hasn't become clear lol. But i think its safe to say thats not going to happen. I highly recommend if your looking for a good lol show. As far as this movie the trailer was more then enough. Ive watched O'Dowd in his latest drama series. Terrible as well. I was hoping it would be funny or have moments. But nope..... As far as why Andie MacDowell is in this. Im guessing she needed the money. Another great actress that could of done so much more. But nope, Could of went out on a high. But instead stayed out of the limelight for 20 years then comes back for low budget projects. I see this so often too. Its genuinely sad to see a once very high caliber actor. Slum it passed there prime for a cash grab in most cases. Because unlike today they didnt get payed 100 million for one movie. More like a 100 thousand if they were lucky. For films that define the industry and helped lay the foundation. For all modern day cinema and that associated with. #itcrowd #funny #chrisodowd #mattberry #amazing #comedy #710