Cheap Amateur (1994) (Video) (Isabelle Huppert, Martin Donovan (II)) (Hal Hartley) Price

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Customer Reviews of Amateur (1994)

Gets better with repeated viewings
Like all Hal Hartley films (I've seen Flirt and Henry Fool, but neither are as good as Amateur), this is a decidedly odd and mannered movie. The first time I saw it, the far-fetched plot and stilted characterizations are a bit unnerving. This is an ambitious project--Hartley explores the fall of man (an event which literally precedes the film) and original sin in the context of an off-kilter Manhattan thriller. There are some hilariously delivered deadpan one-liners (Martin Donovan: "You're a nyphmomanic and you've never had sex? How could that be?" Isabelle Huppert: "I'm choosy.") But the heart of the movie revolves around the title, and how, try as we might, we cannot escape who we are--Hartley seems to suggest that humanity's flaws are indelible, and despite the guises we might adopt, we are only novices. Amateur ranks low on entertainment value (see Air Force One instead), but a great thinking person's film: brainy, sly, somber, and at times (especially the ending), heartbreaking. Hartley's beguiling screenplay unravels its original insights upon repeated viewings, and it makes the effort worthwhile.

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Very weird, very cool
I cannot think of a better director/screenwriter & actor combination than Hartley & Donovan (respectively). As with his other films, Hartley showcases an offbeat, yet deadpan, approach to dialogue and physical expression. Combine this with the odd story and tangental sideshows, and what you'll end up with is one delightfully strange film. Hartley also shows a gift for finding talented - yet largely unknown - actors (at least to the general American audience at large). Martin Donovan (the amnesiac) has collaborated with Hartley in the past (most successfully, I feel, in *Trust*), and theirs is a team that works well. Donovan's presence, combined with an expression that requires little movement to shift from irritation to affection to confusion, makes him perfect for the largely deadpan stylings of Hartley's writing and direction. Isabelle Huppert, the esteemed French actress, makes her American screen debut in this film. A superb performer, she contributes to the near-minimalist character tonalities by displaying the largest range of emotions without breaking the carefully set mood of the film. Elina Lowensohn and the rest of the cast also give strong performances. Another notable shift in this film from previous Hartley productions is the improvement in music. While a wonderfully comedic film, *Amateur* is definitely not a film for the masses. The humor and storyline are both odd enough to leave most anyone thinking, "Huh?" for at least part of the film, but such questions and queries are generally answered five minutes later. Certainly one that rates second and third viewings, *Amateur* is delightful movie.

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Best Hartley Ever
This is my favorite Hal Hartley film, several of the scenes do not fail to bring a tear to my eye or give me a feeling of frisson and I saw it for the first time in 1995. I think that should say it all.

Purist Hartley fans seem to believe that Trust is the quintessential Hartley, and while I agree that the film is great, Amateur has a much more complicated plot and explores more complicated issues.

The film is all about ontology. What is the nature of being? Can one change? What is memory? Is there an essential nature to existence or is existence mutable depending on experience?

Don't think, however, this is some weird indie/foreign flick heavy on the meaning. Hartley manages to pose all of the above questions within a film that is quirky and funny and deadpan and sad and wonderful all at the same time.

Yes, I know this man.