bronweis Bought the movie without knowing anything about it, because of stars Ashley Judd and Kevin Kline. I did have to watch it more than once before I "got it". The key to understanding the film, is think of it like Dickens' ghost of Christmas past. And realize that Angel Gabriel is showing Cole his life, flashed before his eyes. Then we begin..Loved the idea because of the period. Like ANY truly amazing work of artistic genius, you have to give this movie a once-over before it sets in. Once, to watch the biography. Once to soak in the Linda and Cole love story. Once to understand the complexity of Cole Porter's true nature. He is truly in love with Linda, yet has other preferences- for men.Strangely, made me think of Freddy mercury (see Queen: A Night at The Opera, documentary). Finally, you settle into the musicality of this film. Re-watch several times, and like a fine wine or a groundbreaking new album, you realize the genius that is in Cole Porter's lyrics, musical writing, and larger-than-life personality. Actress Caroline O'Conner does an unreal Ethel Merman-esque performance. How did this film not win multiple Oscars? Actress, Actor, screenplay, etc, etc. Standing ovation to entire musical cast, theatrical performers, and all the amazing hard work. <3 thank you. thank you. thank you. Want to see this on stage!!!

moonspinner55 The opening scenes of Irwin Winkler's "De-Lovely" are hardly promising: Kevin Kline--in old man's makeup--playing songwriter Cole Porter, being led somewhat reluctantly by a friendly guide through his colorful, extravagant life filled with friends, lovers, and his longtime wife and supporter, Linda (it smacks a bit of Dickens). Still, director Winkler and screenwriter Jay Cocks are able to tell Porter's story in a fluid and interesting fashion, starting about the time he met Linda, the most beautiful divorcée in Paris, in 1919. The musical numbers are interjected subtly--they're either part of a show or rehearsal, a nightclub performance, or a fantasy-twist on the scene in question--giving this biography an aural and visual kick. Kline and Ashley Judd manage to create a very nice rapport as husband and wife, she with failing health and he busy consummating affairs with other men. Their loyalty in friendship is tastefully handled. In fact, the whole movie is tasteful, and this is both pro and con. Porter's homosexuality is pussyfooted around in a playful manner (so as not to discourage heterosexual audiences), yet his fickle sexual nature is only reflected in Linda's ever-increasing dismay. Imagine this picture as directed by someone like Bob Fosse, who may have envisioned Porter's more decadent side with some grit. "De-Lovely" slides on and off the screen, with a blackmail subplot brought up and then forgotten about. It will no doubt charm those in the mood for a non-think, sweetly sentimental tale, though the finale is reminiscent of Fosse's "All That Jazz", and the collection of modern singers (Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Cow, et al.) give the film an anachronistic bend which seems purely and inexplicably intentional. **1/2 from ****

emdragon De-Lovely is excellent. I am pretty surprised that there are no Academy award nominations for it. The sound track is simply wonderful. Cole Porter's life is biographically and aesthetically portrayed by the director. The two leads, Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd, are perfectly cast and perform beyond perfection in it. That this is a mixture of gay and straight relational behavior in the same man is deftly depicted, and represents the period well. The sets and the choreography in many of the song and dance numbers brought me back to brighter times. A few of the singing extras did not quite capture the period perfectly, perhaps (Ms Morissette comes to mind), but the songs are all so wonderful, so that it is easy to forget. The director, Irwin Winkler, had to try to make a biographical tale depicting the music the man created in his lifetime, which he did wonderfully, while all the time giving the leads free reign to portray real human beings who loved each other, while continually pondering who, exactly, they themselves really were. Mr Winkler uses something of an artist's brush to pull this thing off so well. Not an easy task given the hidden (gay) subject matter of Cole Porters other life.

mso88 Brilliantly staged, superb performances by Kevin Kline and Jon Pryce, and those great Cole Porter songs (the reason for buying the DVD). And yet this film is profoundly strange, lurching between musical and biopic, as ambivalent as Porter's sexual orientation. Screenwriter Jay Cock's tone-deaf dialogue saps critically-needed energy from the film while characters stop the action to deliver formal speeches rather fire clever quips from the hip. But what can we expect from a film-critic-turned screenwriter? De Lovely needs more stacatto Hollywood dialogue that matches the style, grace, and elegance of the art direction and cast performances. DeLovely is actually 2 films at war with one another: an elegant, snappy musical versus a dull, literary biopic. And the winner is the musical.