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De-Lovely
We Kinda De-Loved It

Starring: Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, Keith Allen ,Angie Hill, Natalie Cole, Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Diana Krall, Sheryl Crow, Caroline O'Connor
Director: Irwin Winkler, Robbie Williams
Screenwriter: Jay Cocks

Reviewed by P. Joshua Laskey

"Bravo SJ Fanboy! Bravo!"

Perhaps Cole Porter is not as familiar a name in the minds of younger people than he is with those people's grandparents. Perhaps Kevin Kline, whose face might be familiar, garners only little more recognition for his name among that younger set too. So why would Hollywood executives greenlight a movie about Cole Porter starring Kline in the lead role? The answer seems to be that entertainment types take delight in telling the stories of their own. As a role, Kevin Kline picked a musical one (both literally and metaphorically) in that he actually sings throughout the movie (in the fashion of old-time, Porteresque musicals) and navigates scenes of various length and complexity with the fluidity that a seasoned, self-assured actor brings to his craft. As a script, however, De-Lovely's musicality takes away from the story's fluidity and leaves it pockmarked and potholed.

"Hey...isn't it ironic?"

Instead of tackling a dramatic biography in a more traditional sense, De-Lovely takes the view that telling the story of a nontraditionalist like Cole Porter should be approached in a nontraditional way. While the premise has merit, the execution lacks verve and falss flat instead of infusing the story with the obvious joie de vivre Porter displayed throughout his remarkable life. By attempting to thread the drama through several needles of Porter's songs, the script becomes a prickly necklace around the necks of the audience. Instead of popping in rhythm with Kline's performance, the movie lags, and sags, and generally does a disservice to the impassioned performances (many by current pop stars like Alanis Morissette) and incredible makeup.

If someone were simply in love with the songs Cole Porter gave to the world, De-Lovely might delight. If someone were in awe of Kevin Kline or enamored of Ashley Judd, De-Lovely might satisfy. If someone were piqued by period costumes and the roaring life of 1920s Paris and New York, De-Lovely might enchant. And if someone aspired to professional makeup artistry, De-Lovely would almost certainly stun and dazzle. But even having some affection for all these elements, someone might come away from De-Lovely strangely irked, inexplicably empty for all the seemingly wonderful elements. That is the effect De-Lovely had on me. Perhaps I went into the cinema expecting too much from the whole of such great parts. Perhaps I did not tune in properly to the nontraditional symphony being played among the theretofore-unrelated-in-quite-that-way songs. Perhaps I was having a bad day.

Overall, there is much to see in De-Lovely. I give it two stars, but not my unfettered recommendation.

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