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Food of Love | Year: 2002 Classification: Drama Actors/Actresses: - Juliet Stevenson - Kevin Bishop - Paul Rhys Ambitious Cosmopolitans' Sex Comedy "Food of Love" is a very fine film of sexual politics set in the cosmopolitan world of the classical music concert business. Paul Porterfield (played by Kevin Bishop) is a talented 18-year-old piano student from the San Francisco Bay Area who wants to make it in the concert world. He takes lessons and wants to go to Juilliard in Manhattan. The film begins with Paul getting to be a page-turner at a concert being performed by his touring hero, Richard Kennington (played by Paul Rhys). At the event, Paul also meets Kennington's manager, Joseph Mansourian (played by Allan Corduner). Both Mansourian and Kennington take notice of Paul. Shortly Paul and his divorcing mother, Pamela (played by Juliet Stevenson), vacation in beautiful Barcelona. Paul finds an ad for a recent Kennington performance and tracks down the pianist. Paul and Kennington get along extra well. A chance incident lets Pamela, Paul, and Kennington be buddies in Barcelona, touring about. Six months later, Paul attends Juilliard. Paul has a gay roommate from back home, Teddy (played by Naim Thomas), and a wealthy boyfriend, Alden Haynes (played by Carlos Castanon). It turns out Mansourian lives in the same building as Haynes, and impressario Mansourian still has his attractions. The problems are that Kennington and Mansourian have a long-term relationship and that piano teacher Mme. Novotna (played by Geraldine McEwan) is starting to have doubts about Paul's talent. When Pamela starts getting clues that something is up, she decides to take drastic action, and the cat-fight begins. It is a pleasure to watch such good acting in the service of a literate script. All of the main characters find themselves in false positions and try to spin their ways out of it. Each has to decide what is really important to him or her. The character who actually grows the most is the mother, Pamela, who starts out oblivious to anything other than her routine self and her son's initial dream, and who has to cope with a number of shocks without messing matters up for good. On display from many characters is an ability and desire to overlook others' untidiness, no matter what the initial bluster might suggest. Kevin Bishop does a fine job of balancing his projected motivations. With his character in repeated high-stress situations, one cannot be sure whether Paul is a victim of others, a gold-digger, or a weak-willed, go-with-the-flow guy. He is certainly an aggressive flatterer of successful pianists. There is some room for interpretation. There are substantial skin scenes with Paul and with Kennington, not necessarily together. All is tasteful. The exterior scenes in Barcelona were especially beautiful. I wish there had been a special feature telling the audience about these shots. The DVD has excellent special features. There is an interview with director Ventura Pons, coupled with behind-the-scenes shots. The main actors (Stevenson, Rhys, Corduner, Bishop, and M Worthwhile screen treatment of "The Page Turner" "Food of Love" is primarily a coming-of-age story about a 18 year old aspiring pianist, concerned about his professional aspirations as well as his repressed homosexuality. It is also a very compelling story about relationships and the conflicts they can cause, including the relationships (1) between the boy, Paul (Kevin Bishop), and his mother (who is recently separated from his father, and becoming a bit codependent on the son), (2) between Paul and his idol, Richard Kennington (Paul Rhys), a 39-ish famous concert pianist who also becomes Paul's first lover, and (3) Kennington's longtime relationship with his older lover/agent/mentor Joseph (Allan Corduner). The story begins in San Francisco, where Paul had been recommended by his piano teacher for the honor of serving as the "page turner" during one of Kennington's concerts. Both Kennington and Joseph separately express their admiration of the adorable young man, but Mother whisks him away after the performance. Shortly thereafter, Paul and his mother go on vacation to Barcelona (Spain), and Paul finds that Kennington is there as well, tracking him down to his hotel room, where they have sex for the first time. Their affair develops further in Spain, but Kennington ends it. Fast forward six months to New York City, where Paul is going to Juliard and having an affair with another older man, who happens to live in the same building as Joseph (and Kennington, when he is not on tour). Joseph renews his interest in Paul, and Paul tolerates the attention to a point for possible professional assistance. Subsequent scenes shift to CA, where Paul returns home for Christmas, his mother discovers he is gay (Tsk ... bringing home gay magazines in your luggage? What were you thinking??), and also puts together what had happened between him and Kennington, but assumes it is still happening. When Paul becomes uncommunitive and talks about quiting Juliard, his mother makes a trip to see him in NYC. Uh-oh! I'll admit I did not read David Leavitt's "The Page Turner", the novel from which this screenplay was adapted, so I can't tell you where it deviates from the book. However, the DVD "extras" include an interview with Leavitt, who states that the screenplay essentially tells the same story, with a few minor changes. I thought the film was excellent, especially that the director managed to make a somewhat predictable story so interesting, as well as having gotten great performances out of the (mostly English) actors, especially Juliet Stevenson as the mother. Talented Kevin Bishop (as Paul) has some rear nude scenes (rated "R"), though the sex scenes with Kennington are rather tasteful and somewhat romantic, though clearly showing the basic conflicts in their relationship and individual needs. The situations portrayed (including the mother going to a PFLAG-like meeting once she found the gay magazines, unsure if she should risk admitting she "snooped" and found them) were quite realistic, and th Decent but no triumph The film has strong possibilities but doesn't quite accomplish what it set out to do. As with many independent films, certain aspects of the filmmaking process have been sacrificed (typically because of budget reasons), so the film winds up stagey and stiff at points. Despite a few strong performances, I found the acting unconvincing on the whole. While I have not read the book, the characterizations felt incomplete. Certainly this isn't a bad film, but it simply fails to satisfy. 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