VinnieRattolle
Mona (Fairuza Balk) is a young artist who lives with her pregnant cousin (Debi Mazar), works at a pet store (run by Téa Leoni) and she's recently realized that sweet boyfriend Jeff (Noah Taylor) feels more like a brother than a lover. The lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur when Mona encounters a sexy stranger (Patrick Dempsey) who may be the devil himself - and her lust for this man directly results in Jeff's death. So what's worse than accidentally murdering your boyfriend? Being the only one who can see his ghost.I can't help but wonder what all of the people who wrote bad reviews expected to see. This is one of those movies like "My Boyfriend's Back" or a John Waters opus where the characters don't function in a normal semblance of reality - they're all one-note and their actions/reactions are often absurd. And on top of that, it's low-budget fantasy, so some of the FX (as well as Debi Mazar's wig) are somewhat lacking... but that sorta adds to the fun.The story juts along at its own pace and in its own direction, and I can't say that I ever anticipated what was coming next - though the ending was a little cliché (not that I could think of a more suitable one). Balk is likable as always as the leading lady and Taylor is charming as her dead weight. Dempsey was well-cast but he only appears in a few scenes and doesn't utter a single syllable. And renowned scene-stealer Jeffrey Jones also deserves mention for his supporting role as a minister. Unfortunately, Leoni plays it pretty broad and Mazar was uncharacteristically restrained (actually it feels like they should've switched parts)."Life in the Fast Lane" was cute, it held my interest throughout and made me chuckle quite a few times. I couldn't really ask for more from such a dopey little comedy... except for maybe a better title ("There's No Fish Food in Heaven" wasn't much better, but at least it made sense for the film).
Chris Irving
"There's No Fish Food in Heaven" or "Life in the Fast Lane" or whatever this movie needs to call itself has absolutely no idea what it's doing. This is an example of how the term "filmmaker" can be applied to any anxiously naive fool with some video equipment and enough capital to (at least at the time) pay for the film stock. Therefore, movies like this are a waste of both time and money. Movies like this help help bring ruination to an actor's career or relegate them to second-class "B" status. Rather than even attempting to discuss the plot, I want to instead (for whoever is reading) relate an anecdote.Years ago, I worked in a video store. Not a Blockbuster, but an actual video store, a Mom 'n Pop video store. Like all private businesses, you can't afford to keep up with the competition, and in order to carry a full inventory, we would supplement our selection with independent cinema, for better or worse. This movie was one of those titles. I remember thinking this was one of those quirky, meet-cute comedies that would be ridiculous, indeed, but somehow parasitically enjoyable. I watched about fourteen minutes of the film before I realized I had been had. About a week later, a customer had come to the store and I was surprised to see that she was returning the film. Unable to resist, I asked her what she thought about the movie. The woman, a 40-something soccer mom, politely asked: "Can I have my money back? The other guy said this movie was hilarious." I wasn't the manager, but I obliged her and gave her the $2.65 refund. I did this not because she rented the movie, but because she actually watched the whole thing.The young and hopeful aspirations of an entire filmmaking population could benefit from watching this film (indeed, countless more like it). Think about what you're doing; don't film something that is only a half-imaged abortion of an idea.
Kris Earle
This flick, which is a.k.a. "Life In the Fast Lane" is easily one of the least entertaining movies I've seen in a long time. I think it was made in mind of the sick, twisted and jaded L.A. women who represent about .00000001 of the population in the States. The characters are all one-dimensional, even the lead. After she stabs her boyfriend in the head with some scissors, a cheap laugh is attempted (and unsucceeds) by sticking a cork in the boyfriend's skull to stop the bleeding. Oh, clever! Patrick Dempsey (whose movies are almost always a class act --sarcasm) plays this "devil" who changes her life - but from what we've seen, her life was this series of vignettes to begin with. No emotion, no laughs, no story. The only reason I give this a 2 is that Jeffrey Jones is ok as the priest and there is a bit of style (albiet zero substance) in the camerawork. Otherwise, one of the 5 worst films I've seen. Grade 2 out of 10 AN F! I think that even the most drugged out junkie who would laugh at a toilet seat falling would dislike this film. I can't stress enough how much you should stay away.
nd_4@hot
Hmmm... why isn't there info for this movie here? It stars Fairuza Balk and Jeffery Jones. It's about Mona who's ex-boyfriend Jeff sends himself to her in a box and she accidently kills him. For the rest of the movie he follows her around. It's got a horrible soundtrack and the acting's no good and the story was weak also. So actually, this movie was crap. I still think Fairuza Balk's beautiful though. I only wanted to see it cuz she stars in it and because it was based on a story/song by Lou Reed called "The Gift" off the album White Light/White Heat. Great song. Lou Reed's great.
AD
