Matthew F. Tritico
Staff Writer
Review
Writer/Director Edward Burns strays from the romantic-comedy formula that put him on the map with his new film, No Looking Back.
This working-class drama puts a different spin on the traditional love triangle that was prevalent in his previous features: the savvy, charming The Brothers McMullen and the trendy, fluffy She's The One.
Besides tackling the writing and directing chores, Burns also stars as Charlie, a smart-aleck drifter who, after a 3-year absence, comes back to his dead-end hometown with hopes of rekindling a past romance with his old sweetheart Claudia, played by the peppy Lauren Holly. But nothing is what it seems as Charlie learns that his old flame is creating a new fire in the heart of his old pal Michael, played by Jon Bon Jovi.
Claudia, a waitress in a local diner, wants more out of life than the card she's been dealt. She's happy with Michael but complains about the need for change, such as going to a nice restaurant for dinner or seeing some new faces. She also wants out of the hard-luck town that has burdened her, and when Charlie comes back around, she reassesses her options and sees a possible escape from her current situation.
Character development is what makes a film like this special. Instead of having cardboard cutout lead characters and stars that are too pretty to be flawed, the film contains real characters virtually anyone can relate to. Although the title gives most of the plot away, you can still understand what these characters are going through.
Burns captures the look of the lonely town with shots of empty streets and smoky bars effectively, setting the overall mood nicely. But as the cast has nothing much to do but chain smoke cigarettes and consume large quantities of beer, they perform as expected with the material.
Holly is really sweet and somewhat believable in her role, Bon Jovi is actually a pleasant surprise, and Burns is average but entertaining.
With No Looking Back averaging a better score than his first two releases combined, and with Burns obviously learning a little more each step of the way, the creative fire is not even close to going out.
MPAA Rating:
R
Running Time:
96 min
Playing At:
Landmark Greenway