Still Breathing (1997)

Brendan Fraser could read a phone book to me and I'd die happy. He has a beautiful voice. He has a magical chemistry with his costars and with the camera. He exudes innocence, gentleness, and good humor. Celeste Holme is stunning and perfectly cast.I just love this film.

This film has one of the best lines in Motion Picture history. It was spoken by Rosalyn (Roz) Willoughby (Joanna Going), in this film: Paraphrasing it a bit (I am a straight guy): "There are two things I always wanted to believe in but didn't dare. One is that there was one woman, somewhere, who was made just for me. The other is that I just might deserve her" This line sums up the picture and life in general perfectly. Roz is a very successful con artist who is on her way to a path of destruction (Either on her own, or by someone else) until she meets Fletcher McBracken (Brandan Fraser), who is her soul mate (He goes from San Antonio to LA, to try and save her (He has a gift passed down through generations which is through dreams, the ability to find their true love)). Can he break through her doubts and cynical nature and win her heart? The answer to that is obvious. Beyond that, this is NOT a "Chick flick", and it is a rarity (Which means she probably has never heard of this film (Let alone seen it)), and as a guy, you can sit through it without wanting to tear your hair out, so this would be a great Valentine's Day film to watch with your sweetie. One more thing: If she likes chocolate, do not forget the Godiva's for her while watching (Chocolate will pop up in the film, so spring them on her then). 10/10 stars.

I saw this at it's premiere in Austin at SXSW a few years ago--Joanna Going sat two seats over from me in the balcony at the Paramount on Congress Avenue in Austin--and the audience loved it. Brendan Fraser is pretty charming in the lead. I was surprised by the cameos: what's-his-face, Lou Rawls, as a street musician; and what's-her-name, who played Fraser's mom (I don't have the cast list handy). An "OLD Hollywood" icon. Anyway the plot is pretty unique, but maybe the main plot device could have been more clearly explained right off; I knew what was happening only because the director said what was happening in his opening remarks to the Paramount audience. The producer, a tall blonde BABE in a very lovely dress, gave me a CD of the soundtrack as I was leaving; I told her I thought the film was great and that I hoped she'd make a lot of money off it. She sighed and said she hoped so too.

The logic of the true love is braking the walls between the standard way of living and the wish for filling a peace of the soul, if there is something in the world that can be worth, is to find it. The movie was made for people with very high sensibility, and the real message could be unprovided for others. Thanks to the producers of this film.