Dave is a sap.
He is the form of man whose thought of an thrilling date consists of common pasta at a median restaurant, raving about it for hours.
It is no marvel he is no good at love.
Shane Nepveu performs Dave, a man who, after he raves concerning the aforementioned common pasta, loses his girlfriend, Denise (Christine Turturro).
She dumps him when his dimwitted raving makes her understand that their relationship began with out sparks, and it fizzled much more within the waning days.
Twelve months later, Dave nonetheless has a pic of him and Denise because the wallpaper on his telephone, and his cousin, Morris (Briana Marin), has had sufficient.
Attempting to get him out of the bubble of distress he is safely ensconced himself in will take a herculean effort, which is past even her commendable ability set.
Morris is the gal who races towards a celebration and simply turns into its life drive. Dave, although, is a wallower, and if there may be something that the lifetime of the celebration is aware of, it is nearly unimaginable to assist the wallower.
Enter Unhealthy Cupid.
Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies is much better than the function he is obtained on this film, however he is been a working actor since 1964. You do not develop into a widely known actor with no main success story with out sitting in your laurels.
It is arduous to pinpoint when Rhys-Davies turned a Hollywood common. Maybe within the 1980s, when he was featured in a number of mini-series (we now name them restricted sequence) corresponding to Shogun and Conflict and Remembrance and options like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Misplaced Ark in addition to its low-cost copy, King Solomon’s Mines.
Rhys-Davies likes to work, and he isn’t overly choosy about his initiatives. That form of sticktoitiveness most actually ensures that he’ll elevate a median undertaking when he is in it.
Rhys-Davies is a rattling good actor, and his presence offers Unhealthy Cupid a little bit of gravitas. It doesn’t raise it excessive sufficient to suggest generously, however Unhealthy Cupid is not a Unhealthy Movie. It is simply not a superb movie.
Rhys-Davies is the unhealthy cupid in Unhealthy Cupid. We have already ascertained that Dave wants assist. Effectively, Unhealthy Cupid is throughout that form of help. He is not unhealthy within the sense that he fails to focus on future lovers precisely however that his course of leaves a bit to be desired.
It tends to be illegal, violent, and a little bit on the bloody aspect.
Irrespective of how cupids obtain their messages, Unhealthy Cupid obtained Dave’s loud and clear. As it’s with cupids, Dave has no thought what the arrow slinger is aware of or how he is aware of it, and shortly, he and Morris are a part of a kidnapping scheme to reunite Dave together with his real love.
Rhys-Davies is not the one gifted actor within the solid. He is surrounded by others who’re competent and fascinating. The story is not extremely nuanced, however it does tie collectively completely, which is not at all times straightforward to realize.
However as with many low-budget movies, this one has some points. The biggest comes with sound manufacturing and enhancing. Indie filmmakers typically really feel that inserting a musical rating will detract from the realities of low-quality sound, however it’s the alternative.
My largest beef with the movie is that they’ve chosen to layer an annoying rating over practically each scene. The method appears to be reminding viewers that Unhealthy Cupid is a comedy, so if there is a quieter scene and also you neglect to maintain a watch out for the jokes, a loud chord will remind you.
It isn’t solely annoying however form of insulting that these behind the digicam consider we cannot catch their drift. And the sounds of this explicit rating pull consideration away from the story.
If the story was that unhealthy, it’d make sense, however it’s not, so the additional effort solely detracts from having fun with what’s unfolding.
Administrators Diane Cossa and Noel Howard, who wrote the film with former Coach and King of Queens’ coworker Ira Fritz, in addition to Anthony Piatek, paced the film properly and located a solid that labored properly with the fabric.
Sadly, the overwhelming rating suggests their insecurity within the completed product.
Unhealthy Cupid sticks the touchdown, although, so it would not shock me if the workforce gave it one other go to a better diploma of success.
The underside line? Unhealthy Cupid’s grasp of discovering love and residing by its failures is not misplaced, and Rhys-Davies is a hoot.
Unhealthy Cupid is accessible for hire or buy throughout most streaming platforms.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a employees author and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of tv and movie with anybody who will hear. Observe her on Twitter and electronic mail her right here at TV Fanatic.