Love the Hard Way

Starring:Adrien Brody, Charlotte Ayanna, Jon Seda, August Diehl, Pam Grier, Liza Jessie Peterson, Elizabeth Regen, Katherine Moennig, Joey Kern, Jonathan Hadary, Michael G. Chin, Ben Wang, Huan Wang, Ned Stresen-Reuter, Michaela Conlin, Lee R. Sellars, Sylvia Kauders, JosÃ© Rabelo, Dave Simonds, Jeffrey M. Marchetti
Director: Peter Sehr
Studio: Kino Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A Haunting, Complex, Ultimately Rewarding Movie...with a Backstory
[3.5]--Trying to love and be loved with a broken heart.
Virgin Myth
Love the Hard Way - Is there any other way?
adrain brody: a good actor you don't hear much about

Love the Hard Way
Starring: Adrien Brody , Charlotte Ayanna , Jon Seda , August Diehl , and Pam Grier
Director: Peter Sehr
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Neo-Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Oxygen
Ten Benny
Restaurant
Dummy
Liberty Heights

ASIN: B0000C2IVA
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Customer Reviews:

A Haunting, Complex, Ultimately Rewarding Movie...with a Backstory .......2006-10-05

A complex character study involving two primary characters. Adrian Brody portrays Jack, an intriguingly two-sided figure. One side is literate and sensitive, creating a secret little "office" in a tiny, rental cubicle in which he studiously labors on a novel based on his second side: a violent, risk-taking con man who sets up foreign businessmen with hookers, then masquerades as a vice cop to shake them down. To further complicate his life, he meets and becomes infatuated with a brilliant but virginal movie house concession stand clerk named Claire (Charlote Ayanna). Claire is intrigued by Jack's dangerous side and strongly attracted to his sensitive side, and as a result, falls so deeply in love with him that she is willing to do anything to preserve their increasingly difficult relationship. "Anything" in this case includes drugs, prostitution, and other self-destructive behaviors. As is always the case, gentle people such as Claire cannot venture into this realm without paying a huge price, including complete emotional breakdown and fully intended, not simply "attempted", suicide. How will it end? Apparently even director Peter Sehr could not completely resolve this issue, but it appears that they settled on a sweet but rather ambiguous and unlikely "happy ending".

Plot synopsis aside, there is an equally interesting and unbelievable side story involving Charlotte Ayanna, the virginal Claire. Born in Puerto Rico and originally named Lopez (Ayanna, a stage name, means "blessed), her mother had serious psychiatric problems and as a result, she and her brother and sister were put into foster care and endured an impoverished childhood. Charlotte was in the system for 16 years before being adopted by a family in Vermont. She entered the Miss Teen USA contest, won the title of "Miss Vermont" and ultimately was crowned Miss Teen USA in 1993 wearing a $37 evening gown.

The movie is extremely "gritty" and at times rather depressing, but overall it is definitely worth the viewing time. The DVD deleted scenes include a scene that makes the ending far less ambiguous....be sure to watch.

[3.5]--Trying to love and be loved with a broken heart........2006-10-02

I would have given this flick 4 star, but there were some plotting issues and areas where things didn't get developed as well as they should have. Claire is a grad student who gets straight A's, wanting to rebel she gets with Jack, the petty thief and secret writer, whose world is turned up upside-down by a combination of sex, true love, and loyalty. This film was very intense & leaves you thinking. Anyone, esp. women, who has fallen in love with a "dangerous/mysterious" type will surely relate to this because stories like hers are very common, although not everybody goes to such extremes.

Adrien Brody is an excellent actor and gives an interesting and subtle performance that he slowly let us in to the interior that lies under the criminal, streetwise exterior. The script doesn't actually explain how Jack Grace became the way he is. The sketchy details about his background he provides Claire could be a figment of his overactive imagination. So all we can do is watch Claire sink lower and lower, but eventually redeem herself. Charlotte Ayanna's performance as Claire was wonderful she has depicted this role without any annoying mannerisms and has pushed some realistic traits into her character. Pam Grier is also good in her "almost-cameo" role as the police officer who comes in and out of the lead characters' lives throughout the film as well as Jon Seda as Jack partner in crime and close friend.

`Love The Hard Way' is a bitter sweet love story that will make you think. It also provides some dark mysterious qualities. Peter Sehr is a great director. The cinematography and use of colors that he captures are wonderful. The plot is at once very unconventional, given that it isn't quite as linear as most...and yet has all the elements necessary for a successful drama. All around this movie is worth seeing.

Virgin Myth.......2006-03-21

Pam Grier steals this film and she's only on screen for five minutes total. She's a whole lot of woman! Just kidding. I liked Love the Hard Way. Here is an attempt at a modern romantic myth, namely the American Virgin. Sure men want their love chick to be pure, to raise sons and daughters that are yours and yours alone, but Adrien Brody is a young thief in a porno world he did not make. After all, he's slept with 200 women. So in between hotel sleaze capers, he beds innocent Columbia biology genius with the big chest, Charlotte Avanna, and our Lothario gets more than he bargained for as his virgin becomes promiscuous in the cause of thievery. Naturally, our hero is stunned, angry, and confused.

Charlottes' revenge or strategy to get her man is pretty far fetched, but the director has created an atmosphere of slimy New York thieves on the make with a rap film score and big Cadillac's squealing tires amidst the riff raff, so we sort of believe the unbelievable. It's a nice try in the same vein as Tarentino's script, True Romance, but LTHW is grittier.

Love the Hard Way - Is there any other way?.......2006-03-16

I absolutely loved this movie! I cried my eyes out the first time I saw it. I once fell HARD for a street-wise bad boy myself and could relate to this movie on so many levels. Like Claire & Jack, my bad boy and I came from completely opposite backgrounds, he was the son of a non-functioning drunk and I grew up a preacher's kid. The attraction between Claire & Jack made perfect sense to me although, to any sane person looking on, it didnt make any sense at all. Like Claire, I was irrisistably drawn to my bad boy, could NOT get enough of him and would have willingly followed him to hell and back if he'd asked. My friends (and his) tried to warn me off and, yes, I had my heart bludgeoned on several occasions, but I never gave up on him. There was just something about him, so much potential - I just KNEW he could be great if I could only make HIM realize it. Over the course of our crazy relationship, I left home, much to my parents' distress but, thankfully, I didnt completely lose my mind like Claire did - I never lost my self respect. In the end, it was a hard road and I lost alot of my innocence; I'd been sheltered so much in my life up 'til then. Teaching him how to love and give and be thankful toughened me up, made me stronger emotionally, but it was worth every moment of self doubt, worth every tear. And now, my REFORMED bad boy and I have been happily married for 16 years this month. He's a wonderful, patient father to our son and is a sucessful, respected business man in our town. I wish they'd make a sequel to this movie so we can find out if Claire & Jack are as lucky in love as we've been!!

adrain brody: a good actor you don't hear much about.......2005-12-26

this one was released fresh on the heels of his oscar win in " the pianist " he plays a small time hustler who has literary aspirations. adrian does his performance raw and street, making the most of a screenplay, which is very well done. jon seda as his sidekick is equally entertaining and charlotte ayanna is good as the straight a student who tries to do a " florence nightingale" on brody's character, but succumbs to the low-end kind of life. charlotte has a great body and she shows it quite a bit here. Pam Grier ( whatever happened to her ? ) is excellent as the vice cop who's on his case. she is a good character actress, who never seems to get enough work or enough credit.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Bound By Lies

London's Burning - Series 3 - Episodes 7 and 8

My Father and I [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: La Mujer de Benjamin (Benjamin's Woman)

House 3 - Der Fluch des Massenmörders