LIVING OUT LOUD is a wonderful movie. The story is a clever mixture of reality and fantasy that dabbles comfortably in both realms just enough to allow you to believe that you are watching art while still experiencing life--or maybe experiencing art while watching life.
The protagonist is Judith, a newly dumped wife who goes a little nuts while trying to learn how to live out loud. Holly Hunter plays Judith brilliantly. She's controlled and edgy and REAL. And it's so comforting that when the camera zooms in on her face her skin is flawed by many an imperfection. So even though we get to explore some of the inner complexities of Judith, we never lose sight of the fact that she's human, and just like any other 40 year old woman.
Judith becomes a regular at a club where Liz Bailey is the regular vocalist. Bailey, played by Queen Latifah, is Judith's ticket to another side of herself. Queen Latifah is wonderful as the wise sage with lungs of gold. Be sure to make it on time for this movie, you don't want to miss the opening credits.
Then there's Pat, the elevator operator in Judith's building who has so much love he needs to share it around. He decides to deposit some of this love on Judith, even though she doesn't really want it. I've never been much of a Danny DeVito fan, but here he is exactly what he should be. A complex, real human being with fears and troubles and heart.
From these three central characters emerges a complicated tale. Not quite a love story, the movie is more concerned with watching Judith and Pat peel off the layers of their previous existences to allow themselves the freedom to develop as people. Or the freedom to live out loud as they people they are becoming.
The movie is wonderfully non-traditional. The actual fantasy scenes are delightful and just unsettling enough to be truly effective. The dialogue is especially fine, with right combination of the absurd and the familiar.
There are two minor glitches in this otherwise excellent movie. Holly Hunter is way too thin to wear a backless dress and the middle section of the story loses it's footing somewhat. But the faults are small in an otherwise exceptional movie. I highly recommend "Living Out Loud" for it's exciting originality, but especially for it's wonderful grasp of the human condition.