 | STARRING: Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno RELEASE DATE: 11/16/2007 The Verdict |
Enshrinement into Oprah’s Book Club is like a license to print money. Love in the Time of Cholera has now made the leap from book club to the silver screen. A love story endorsed by Oprah is not something that I would generally look forward to, but I did want to see how Javier Bardem would handle the lead in this type of film, right after giving such a chilling performance as the psychopathic killer in “No Country for Old Men”.
Set in Columbia in the time of Cholera (a severe disease prevalent in Columbia in the late 19th – early 20th century) Javier plays Florentino, a man who ends up spending his entire life chasing the beautiful Fermina (Giovanna Mezzogiorno). He falls in love with her while still a teenager, working as a telegraph operator. Although they aren’t allowed to see each other too often, they share letters constantly in which they declare their love for each other. Florentino declares his devotion to Fermina by asking for her hand in marriage. She says yes, but her father (John Leguizamo) will not allow it. He wants his daughter to marry a rich man. When his threats fail to derail Florentino from his mission, he packs up the family and moves them away. Florentino grows up to be a soft spoken man who writes poetry about love, and refuses to be with any other woman because of his belief that he will one day be married to Fermina. When he finally meets up with Fermina she sends him away, saying that what they had is an illusion. When a Dr. comes calling for Fermina, she resists at first, but she eventually becomes his wife. Florentino is devastated, but it is only a test of his resolve. He plans to wait for her husband to die. Florentino’s mother gets him a new job, working for a relative, far away from the city. While traveling to the new job, his virginity is basically taken from him by an aggressive woman. Florentino has an epiphany! Sex can make him temporarily forget about Fermina. Who would have thought? He then proceeds to start a journal of all his sexual conquests as he beds woman after woman, year after year, while waiting for Fermina’s husband to die. Meanwhile, Fermina is in a terrible marriage. She did not marry for love, and it shows. She has money but not happiness. As the years go on she is just more and more unhappy. Florentino is a 70 something year old man, in bed with a college student, when Fermina’s husband finally dies. He sends the woman away and begins to court Fermina once again. It turns out that it’s not too late for love, even when you are in your 70s.
Love in the Time of Cholera is an epic story covering so many years and Columbian locations, at a running time of about 130 minutes. I’ve only given you the basics of the story, as it covers a lot in that running time. I wasn’t bored, but at the same time I didn’t exactly enjoy it. Javeir Bardem proves he is a great actor, playing this role that is completely opposite of his role in No Country for Old Men. There are some funny scenes after Florentino has his sexual awakening, but there just seems to be no reason why he would be so devoted to this one woman. There is nothing in her personality that could drive such a level of devotion. She’s not that beautiful. And what man can wait for a woman for over 50 years, basically counting the days? I never read the book, so maybe something that would explain his behavior had to be left out. Or maybe we are not supposed to think about such things and just consider the movie a fantasy. The film is much more ambitious that the generic Hollywood love story, but still has the typical sappy ending. This is the kind of film couples should watch together on DVD. Women will probably like it, and the guy won’t be completely bored.
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