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Go to the "Love! Valour! Compassion!" Page
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![]() 'Love! Valour! Compassion!': Vapid!By Desson HoweWashington Post Staff Writer May 23, 1997 Be afraid -- be very afraid -- when a movie begins with a tinkling piano. It means the filmmaker is so touched by his own work, he's too far gone to make you understand his ecstasy. And prepare yourself for the worst if you see three exclamation points in the title: It means the movie contains postmodern irony. "Love! Valour! Compassion!," an adaptation of Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play, which has piano music and exclamation points to spare, is excruciatingly predictable, creatively inane and almost offensive in its depiction of gay characters. And yes, it's positively riddled with postmodern irony. What does it take to lose the Tony -- talent? Gregory (Stephen Bogardus), a gay choreographer in his 40s, has invited some friends to his idyllic country home for rest, lakeside relaxation and togetherness. The honored guests consist of: Of course, the gathering of guests leads to romantic friction, late-night hanky-panky, soul-searching and mildewed repartee aspiring to poignancy and wit. Imagine Chekhov as imitated by Harvey Fierstein, then rewritten by a committee of soap-opera writers. It doesn't help matters, either, that director Joe Mantello (who also helmed the stage show) either under-directs his performers into narcolepsy or forces them to stumble into caricature. If you're going to enjoy this stultifying disaster, it's going to take a lot of love, valour and compassion. LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! (R, 115 minutes) — Contains sexual situations, nudity, profanity and a rear-view shot of Jason Alexander wearing nothing but an apron..
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