Not Another Love Movie

Today’s special in the “oldies but goldies” category is “Untamed Heart”. In terms of theme and motifs, it seemed at first just one of the many films that make girls go “uh”, “oh” and “ah”… but while I did go through all these phases, I somehow knew there was more to it. It wasn’t finished.
The story is plain enough and by no means original. There’s a SHE who’s always making bad choices and a HE who passes unnoticed in spite of his obvious tenderness for the girl. There’s a dramatic episode that forces the man to reveal himself and disclose his romantic interest in the girl. There’s the girl beginning to see him from a different perspective and, eventually, falling for him. And then there’s the actual love story… and that’s what makes a difference.
Now that I think about it, I really don’t know where to start. Adam seems like a good choice, though, given that he’s the beginning and the end of the core story. Brilliantly played by an awfully young Christian Slater, he’s the guy whom everyone avoids because of his oddity and apparent dumbness. His character is that of a lonely, orphan child who grew up to be a lonely, still orphan man. Orphan as in without family or loved ones, or, worse yet, with no one to love him. But he remains faithful that magic is real, and patiently awaits for it to happen. As is usually the case, it happens when he least expects it, with Caroline appearing in his life.
Caroline is remarkable in more than one way. She’s smart, fun, pretty, hard-working and warm at heart, but she longs for true love and, with every step she takes, she seems to be moving further away from it. Marisa Tomey, who built her career through talent rather than looks, manages to portray all these features in a very credible way, adding a personal touch with the half-sad humour, sparkling eyes and irresistible smile that she lends to her character. While Caroline is somewhat experienced in matters of the heart, the tenderness and warmth she shows to the shy and awkward Adam have all the passion and freshness of first love at its peak. The first touches, the very first kiss, the first time they go to her room, all these are episodes that might have been treated from a Hollywood perspective, idealized and made to look good on screen, but they weren’t. All the embarrassment, the difficulties, the odd moments, they’re there and they only make the movie more real and more touching.
And if that wasn’t enough to make this a great movie, just add the other two “tricks” that the movie worked wonders with: excellent music and incredibly romantic dialogues. I’m burning with desire to quote at least some of the very best lines, but I’d be spoiling it for those who haven’t seen the movie yet. And, believe me, it is worth seeing. It might be 17 years old (it’s old enough to experience love “itself”), but it still holds all the magic of romance wrapped up in a warm, beautiful, quiet movie.