Reviewer's Rating 3 out of 5
When Will I Be Loved (2005)
15Contains strong language and sex

An indie-movie riposte to Indecent Proposal, When Will I Be Loved sees Neve Campbell loaned out to an Italian billionaire (The Sopranos' Dominic Chianese) by her cash-strapped boyfriend (Frederick Weller) for $100,000. But the cost to both men proves far greater when Campbell's cunning comes to the fore. Cult director James Toback (Two Girls And A Guy) takes a pointed look at sexual politics, but you can't help thinking the film will be best remembered for its leading lady's shower scenes.

The Scream star bares her bod at the top and tail of the movie, bookending a narrative stuffed with sex, including a four-way and the odd lesbian clinch. It's also crammed with celebs, like Mike Tyson (pretending not to be Mike Tyson), Fame cellist Lori Singer and Toback himself, as a rotund professor of African-American studies. As diverting as all this human traffic is, there's an indulgent quality to the film that makes it feel like a short padded to (barely) feature length.

"SUSPENSE IS SOON LOST"

The real meat of the movie comes in the verbal volleying between Campbell and Chianese and the aftermath of their encounter. It's refreshing to see Campbell play the not-so-good girl for a change, and there is a certain pleasing ingenuity in the way our heroine plays both her suitors off one another (not least because Weller is such a sleaze). Even so, the film's pervasively cynical tone makes her triumph seem a rather cold one. But if you're looking for something hip, brisk and sexy, then this is a pretty decent proposal.

End Credits

Director: James Toback

Writer: James Toback

Stars: Neve Campbell, Frederick Weller, Dominic Chianese, James Toback

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Length: 80 minutes

Cinema: 23 September 2005

Country: USA

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