Unhook the Stars (1996)

Kino

Love the Hard Way

Film.com's FREE movie of the week is "Love the Hard Way." Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Charlotte Ayanna star in this drama about a thief who falls for a curious, beautiful young woman. As their intimacy grows, a slick cop (Pam Greer) is closing in.

Rating: R

Release Date: Nov 1, 1996

Running Time: 105 mins.

Country Of Origin: United States

starring: Gena Rowlands, Marisa Tomei, Gérard Depardieu, Jake Lloyd, Moira Kelly, David Sherrill, David Thornton, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Bobby Cooper, Clint Howard

director: Nick Cassavetes

Mildred is a widow who discovers a whole new world when her grown children move away. Monica, Mildred's troubled next-door neighbor, leaves her young son J.J. with Mildred while she works a split shift. A friendship develops between Mildred and the six-year-old that opens her eyes to things she never knew existed. Suddenly, she's able to explore life, including a shy courtship with Tommy, the truck driver, who assists Mildred's transition when J.J. no longer needs her.

April 18, 2001

Gena Rowlands, the widow of maverick filmmaker John Cassavetes (he died in 1989), is a sublime, one-of-a-kind actress who deserves to have movies created just for her, as her husband did with brilliant results in A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria. It is especially satisfying that this sweetly funny and touching film about a widow trying to build a new life for herself is directed and co-written by Nick Cassavetes, Rowlands' son.

Mildred is a suburban widow who tries hard to please her…