Love and Other Catastrophes (1996)

Release this film on DVD!!!
I own a copy of this film on VHS and really hope that someone will put this release on DVD with special features. I absolutely LOVE this film! I first saw this in a theater in 1997, at the start of my college years, and my first impression of it was: "not bad for a low budget Aussie film". A year or so later, after being in college, I wanted to see this film again but could never remember the title, as I looked every where for it. When I finally bought it on VHS in 2001, I watched it over and over, laughing with new understandings at the true-to-college-life scenes this movie brilliantly portrays. My appreciation for this film has grown tremendously in the years since and is in my top ten favorite films of all time. The most amazing thing about this film is that it was made on a shoestring budget of less than $20,000 if I'm not mistaken but the quality of the scenes and acting are first rate. I especially love Frances O'Connor's performance in this film. She has become one of my favorite actresses because I love her performances in the subsequent films I've seen her in (notably "Mansfield Park" and "Bedazzled", though this one is her standout debut). She's simply gorgeous and funny...too bad she plays a lesbian though.

The premise for this film is a simple, day in the life of some college students as they face all the kinds of problems nearly everyone in college have: battles with the bureaucracy over paperwork, signatures and the constant runaround (one department won't accept a transfer from one major to another without the signature of the releasing professor who won't release the student until she is accepted by another department), the struggle to find compatable roommates, the crush on someone who has a crush on someone else, problems of completing a thesis for graduation, and overall petty jealousies of love. It all adds up to one humourous mix. My only complaint about this film (other than it not being on DVD) is that it is too short (80 minutes), but its probably better to leave audiences clamoring for more than going on longer than it should. Like nearly all movies that I grow to love, having an awesome soundtrack helps...as I love nearly all of the songs in this film (especially "What Are You So Happy About?"), made even more frustrating to me by not being available to buy in the United States. The soundtrack is hard to find, even on eBay. This film is definitely a significant achievement for the director. That such a high quality, quirky film that's relevant to college life, and funny to boot, can be made on such a low budget should be an example to film students everywhere. This is the film to study and study again. I watch this one quite frequently, and its like visiting old friends. I hope someone will be smart to release this one on DVD...my VHS copy is getting worn out! And while you're at it...release the soundtrack on CD as well. This is the one must-own film in my personal collection of movies.

college life made funny..................
the scenes where Frances O'Connor is walking back and forth across campus from department to department, trying to get her transfer slip signed by the appropriate people in the appropriate sequence is still so funny in it's realism i laugh every time. instead of gaining 10 pounds as a freshman i lost 30 because of all the leg-work college demands in their paper work.

add into the mix of this wonderfully enjoyable movie are the searches for true love (always good for a laugh), hiding from thesis supervisors, and trying to find suitable living conditions. Matt Day is great, as always, in his role as the campus geek who's got a crush on the coffee-shop girl, talking to himself in the mirror "be confident, i'm confident, i'm oozing confidence, confidence coming out of every pore...."

a great movie to watch with your old college buddies!

quirky quirky, funny funny
this is one of the few successful attempts at trying to capture the vitality, the heart-break, the ecstacy and the madness of college life and campus romances. this is about the desperate and hurried search of adolescents, on the brink of adulthood, for meaningful romances and fulfilling careers. the terrible reality of their tribulations and the utter pettiness of their failures, the monstrosities of their triumphs and the fleetingness of their celebrations.

debutante director emma kate croghan captures all this beautifully in putting together a few days in the lives of group of friends. the shoe-string budget of $37,000, provides for the warmth and credibility of the characters and their situations. clearly this is a movie that would have been a disaster with a million dollar budget.

the characters are portrayed extremely realistically by the fresh actors and each of the characters shines through with their ability to convey the humor of their plights.

all in all, a delightful movie that does not tax the viewer much, but takes one along for a voyeuristic look into campus lives. this might not be one of the three best movies of my life (watch the movie to understand the significance of top three movies) but it is one of the top 5 English language movies of the 90s, whose central theme is love.

5. chasing amy 4. as good as it gets 3. love and other catastrophes 2. before sunrise 1. high fidelity

a delightful 9 out of 10