Poe-17
Sam J. (jees! what an actor), one more time simply becomes the character the tale requires. Where the "bleep" are all his awards? Nevermind ...It's a murder mystery. No not that kind. The sleuth here is mental case who lives in a dome of rocks in a park. Except he's a musical genius who is in constant battle with some kind of mind controlling rays from a Capitalist Wizard named Inversol (or something like that) abiding in an ivory tower over looking the city. Wait, wait ... it's about his impossible relationship with his daughter. No, wait ... it's about this mental being the one to figure out the "who dunnit". Except he isn't mental, is he? Society is mental or is it what passes for society? Or not.And it's about art using the human psyche as its canvas and when art wanders over a cliff.Can you imagine an actor the caliber of Samuel Jackson reading this script and nodding? It's as wacky as its title. But watch him do it, watch him bring Romulus Ledbetter to life.The movie would have been decent with another talented actor in the lead but SJ set the character on fire and set it in concrete.The film's problem? Samuel Jackson's performance elevated the bar to a level the rest of the movie didn't see coming. So while the movie is better than it should have been, it seems to miss its bullseye at the same time.With just a bit of tweaking, anticipating the Romulus Ledbetter SJ would create, "The Caveman's Valentine" would have found itself sharing shelf space with genuine classics.Absolutely ... WOW!
gdvibe
I picked this up in the video store not knowing what to expect and was I pleasantly surprised. This film is a real work of art and works on many levels. First, the direction is magnificent. Lemmons works magic blending reality with flashbacks, imaginings and fantasies. Weaving all these together is a true feat. This is a film one could watch without the sound just to appreciate the images.Second, the arts that are portrayed are excellent, from the dancing to the music to the photography. Lemmons has a fantastic arts sense.Third, the performances. Jackson is magnificent. A musician who cannot take the pressure of his career and of the context in which he must perform yet maintains his artistic sensibility. Like so many real people, his fears become externalized, but he still maintains a sense of his reality. And it is this sense which makes his character credible when it comes to the plot.The plot is a good mystery but would have been hackneyed in lesser hands. And the plot works on at least two levels. Romulus may be crazy, but he knows what is going on and the images of his wife beautifully portrayed by Tamara Tunie keeps Romulus grounded. And since this is a character driven film, this conflict between Romulus's fears and fantasies with the realities he finds himself in, works beautifully thanks to Jackson's performance. On the second level the mystery qua mystery also works well. There are enough confusions to keep the viewer guessing.All in all a great film.
dbriel
"Cavemans Valentine" is one of the best psychological portraits i've ever watched. And i've watched a lot of them, since i love that type of film. Jackson does a excellent part, taking the viewer through the mind and thoughts of a schizophrenic. Never before have i seen an actor play a role, the way Jackson does here. You feel like being able to follow his twisted mindgames, although you sometimes can't be sure what is real and what's not. I like Jackson as an actor before, but now i have to admit, that i've always underestimated him. His performance is just incredible. The way he acts, you feel like every little part of this character is just as real as he is. To all the people out there, who haven't seen this movie: Watch it, or you don't know what excellent acting is!
Movie Nuttball
The Caveman's Valentine was really a disappointing film.Sure Sam Jackson put on a great performance and Terence Blanchard's score was great especially the theme but other than that this one is a stinker.During the whole film I thought that Colm Feore looked just like Liam Neesan but without hair.Sometimes you just don't know what is happening in the film and I didn't care for that mixed sex scene either.I really can't say any more except only see this if you are a hardcore fan of Samuel L. Jackson!
AD
