Coming from nowhere and likely headed that direction after a brief splash on video, this surprising little sleeper is an excellent commentary on love American style in the technological age. Co-writer Daphna Kastner stars as Julia, a modern woman with a problem: her live-in lover Jack wants a wife (read "cook" and "all-around helpmate"), but Julia's not sure that she wants to be the "little woman." Enter Ma Bell. Daniel (David Duchovny) is a smooth operator who calls women and insinuates himself into their lives by becoming their fantasy man. When Daniel calls Julia, he not only catches her at a weak moment (having just been delivered a marry me or else ultimatum), he immediately plays the sympathetic ear. In fact, Daniel is so charmingly sympathetic that he tells Julia he's taping the cordless phone to his face while he walks around his apartment because he wants to listen to her all day long. Over the course of the conversation the pair trade stories about their lives and lessons in love they've learned; stories which become increasingly erotic, yet somehow safe since both parties are somewhat anonymous--linked only by voice. Eventually, Julia and Daniel meet, and ultimately he is revealed as a cad and modern-day bounder--but as heart talks directly to heart (rather than through the intermediary of phone) a partial redemption looms on the horizon for Daniel. Although a few scenes don't completely work, Julia Has Two Lovers tackles its difficult subject with gusto, and strikes a fine balance between fantasy and reality. Kastner and Duchovny (who bears a strong resemblance to Richard Gere) are excellent in their roles, and the script is filled with clever lines and observations from the heart. Although the video is being marketed as being "in the vein" of Pretty Woman, Julia is both a much more honest and much better film about modern day romance. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)
Julia Has Two Lovers
color. 87 min. South Gate Entertainment. (1991). $89.98. Rated: R Library Journal
Julia Has Two Lovers
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: