Loverboy

The film is remarkably unsubtle and by-the-numbers....MDT With "Loverboy," actor-turned-filmmaker Kevin Bacon has come up with the right kind of vehicle to spotlight the talents of his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick..... ... Full Review

But the film, wanting nothing to do with either, beats a hasty retreat into the light and trite, mutating into a banal ode to thinking outside the box. Director Kevin Bacon and writer Hannah Shakespeare take Emily's foray into genetic engineering, for example - which could have added a pungently primal dimension to her urge to procreate - and play it for laughs in an early montage sequence that makes her into a tart. ... Full Review

Loverboy is handicapped from the start by an excessive amount of voice-over narration by Emily. By that time, I was so bummed by the film's cloying sentimentality and overall repulsiveness that my secret hope was for the goats to stop putting up with this nonsense and butt someone's ass. ... Full Review

And yet this laundry list of creative and technical blunders leaves out the film's most critical mistake, which is....Movies so rarely express any ambiguity about motherhood....it's remarkable how virtually every decision he makes as director of Loverboy is completely misguided.....a distracting cast of A-list actors fill out seemingly every minor role..... ... Full Review

So, as far as it goes, the film is entertaining, thanks largely to Kay's natural likability.....Tech credits are excellent for a limited budget, especially Nancy Schreiber's sensitive lensing and a lovely score by Kevin's brother Michael.....Good performances and a keen eye for period detail can't disguise the fact.... ... Full Review

the usually terrific Sedgwick is misdirected here and turns in a campy performance that's all over the map She also takes to calling him "Loverboy," a term of such suffocating intimacy that, by the time he's six (and now played by the angelic Dominic Scott Kay), he rebels against the nickname, and exhibits an independent streak that's his mother's worst nightmare. ... Full Review

Hampered by too much voiceover (courtesy of Sedgwick) and excessive use of music, especially in the film's first half, "Loverboy" awkwardly rolls along as you wait for Emily to either realize the error of her ways or go completely off the deep end. In terms of narrative, it may seem like a cop-out (and it probably is), but it's also Bacon's finest directing moment... ... Full Review

Fans of Sedgwick's TV drama, "The Closer," may find her unhinged portrayal here intriguing, but the setup never quite rings true, and even at 86 minutes "Loverboy" outstays its welcome. NEW YORK (CNS) -- Emily Stoll is the ultimate possessive mother in the bleak if well-acted adaptation of Victoria Redel's novel, "Loverboy" (THINKFilm). ... Full Review

Thats the question lurking around every corner of Loverboy, Kevin Bacons witty and effective, yet squirm-inducing, directorial debut. With an appropriately tense undertone of dread and a strong cast of indie regulars including Campbell Scott, Blair Brown, Oliver Platt and Matt Dillon, Loverboy benefits from a lively use of mostly period music -- especially young Sosie Bacons acapella interpretation of David Bowies Life on Mars. ... Full Review

While Sedgwick is almost reason enough to see Loverboy , her strong work here will hopefully guarantee her work in other, better movies in the near future. Based on a novel by Victoria Redel, Loverboy tells the uncomfortable story of a mother who loves her young son too much. ... Full Review