Love Potion No. 9 | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Dale Launer |
Written by | Dale Launer |
Produced by | Dale Launer Thomas M. Hammel |
Starring | |
Cinematography | William Wages |
Edited by | Suzanne Pettit |
Music by | Jed Leiber Ennio Morricone |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $754,935 [1] |
Love Potion No. 9 is a 1992 American romantic comedy film starring Tate Donovan and Sandra Bullock. The film takes its name from the 1959 hit song, "Love Potion No. 9". [2] The story is about a love potion, that enables a person to make people of the opposite sex become completely infatuated with them by simply talking.
Paul Matthews is a lonely biochemist with a crush on his co-worker, biologist Diane Farrow. His three friends take him to a gypsy on 34th and Vine named Madame Ruth. After reading his palm and seeing absolutely no romance in his life, Ruth opens a large bottle containing a thick liquid she calls Love Potion No. 8 and gives him a small amount on a piece of paper. She tells him to dilute the mixture and drink it to improve his love life. As a scientist, Paul has doubts and ends up throwing it in the trash when he gets home. Around this time, Paul's friends buy him the services of sex worker named Marisa, but all they do is talk. Meanwhile, Diane is having her own romantic issues, being very self-conscious about her homely appearance and only receiving physical affection from repeat one-night stands with a cruel acquaintance named Gary.
That night Paul's cat gets into the trash and eats some of the potion, then meows and attracts all the other cats in the neighborhood. When Paul sees the results, he takes it to Diane the next morning. They feed a small amount to a female chimp in Diane's lab and witness the same results, a male chimp flying into a sexual frenzy upon hearing her voice. After analyzing the potion, they learn the "scientific" properties of it, which causes anyone who drinks it to attract members of the opposite sex with their voice for a period of four hours. After analyzing it, they decide to use themselves as human test subjects, dividing the remaining potion into spray bottles. Diane uses the potion to improve her life and ends up attracting an Italian car mogul and the prince of England, ending up getting a makeover in the process. During one of Diane's dates with the prince of England Gary appears at her house and gets told to leave at Diane's request by the prince's security, angering him. Meanwhile, Paul has a string of hookups with women in bars, supermarkets, cars, sorority houses etc.
Over time Paul and Diane realize their romantic attraction to each other and become a couple. Eventually, Paul plans a proposal to Diane; however, when he goes to her house to do so, she's not there. Later, she tells him she has fallen for Gary. Paul is devastated and decides he wants to get her back. He meets with Diane and attempts to confess his feelings until Gary calls her on her cell phone and instructs her to never see Paul again. Diane tells Paul she can't see him anymore and leaves, breaking his heart. Marisa returns to Paul's house and after raiding his medicine cabinet for any useful drugs, finds and uses the spray bottle containing the potion, causing Paul to gladly give her all his valuables, including the last of his potion with instructions on how it works.
After "waking up" from his infatuation, Paul realizes that how he was behaving on the potion matches Diane's sudden infatuation with Gary. He returns to Madame Ruth and confirms that somebody looking like Gary has purchased the entire bottle of love potion No. 8. He phones Diane to tell her Gary is using the potion on her, but Gary forbids her to talk to him. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts, Paul goes back to Madame Ruth, asking for an antidote. She provides Paul with the only solution, Love Potion No. 9. Unlike number 8, it does not create feelings of love, but removes the things obscuring it (such as potion No. 8) forever. Solidifying eternal true love between those who drink it together five minutes after they share a kiss. However, if Diane was never truly in love with him, Paul will love her forever, and she will eternally hate him.
Paul asks his three friends to help him in forcing Diane away from Gary and to take No. 9, but they don't believe him. Marisa arrives at Paul's and uses No. 8 to rob all of them and learn that Gary has purchased the entirety of No. 8. After proving the power of the potion, Paul's friends agree to help. When they arrive at Diane's house, Diane's friend and matron of honor tells them Diane and Gary are marrying in an hour, but that she suspects something is wrong with Diane. Seeing her friend go from a lonely single woman to having a string of handsome wealthy boyfriends, to being in love with Paul and now suddenly marrying a man she never loved. Paul explains what is happening and she agrees to help.
The group arrives at the church to enact their plan, but things go terribly wrong. Diane's friend successfully gives her potion No. 9 but before Paul can drink from the glass and kiss her to activate it, Marisa arrives and enchants Paul's friends, preventing them from restraining Gary who then drinks No. 9 by accident and kisses Diane. Paul attempts to drink the potion and kiss her, but Gary throws him out and has him arrested. Marissa then uses the potion on Gary, having him give her the bottle of no. 8. As Gary is on the potion as well, he enchants Marisa. Gary, having drank No. 9 five minutes prior, feels drawn back to Diane and returns to the ceremony to marry her. Marissa, now infatuated with Gary, drinks some of the pure undiluted No. 8 from the bottle, causing all men in the church who hear her voice to stampede toward her, causing havoc and effectively ending the wedding. Marissa running screaming through the streets causes every man within ear shot to chase after her, giving Paul the opportunity to escape the police. Paul drinks Potion No. 9, kisses Diane and waits five minutes. The effect kicks in and Diane runs away from Gary into Paul's arms.
The film gives a pseudoscientific explanation as to how Love Potion No. 8 "works." It is explained:
Love Potion No. 9 prevents love from fading, and overrides the effects of Love Potion No. 8.
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 25% based on reviews from 12 critics. [3]
Emanuel Levy of Variety called it "a light-hearted one-joke romantic comedy" and that it "tries too hard to be cute. Glib humor and emphasis on "feel good" values aim squarely at the dating crowd and twenty-something couples. But lack of real wit and comic vitality, absence of star names and sluggish pace make pic less appealing than it might have been." [2] Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "D" grade. [4]
The film opened in 278 theaters and earned $416,641 in its opening weekend, and its North American domestic total was $754,935. [1]
Practical Magic is a 1998 American fantasy romantic drama film based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman. The film was directed by Griffin Dunne and stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Aidan Quinn, and Goran Višnjić.
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. She is a privileged California native born into a wealthy family, residing next to the Cohen family's house. Throughout The O.C.'s storyline, Marissa is introduced to new characters who influence her perspective on life and her personality.
Ross Geller, portrayed by David Schwimmer, is one of the six main characters of the NBC sitcom Friends. Ross is considered by many to be the most intelligent member of the group and is noted for his goofy but lovable demeanor. His relationship with Rachel Green was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time, as well as Entertainment Weekly's "30 Best 'Will They/Won't They?' TV Couples". Kevin Bright, who was one of the executive producers of the show, had worked with Schwimmer before, so the writers were already developing Ross's character in Schwimmer's voice. Hence, Schwimmer was the first person to be cast on the show.
Somersault is a 2004 Australian romantic drama film written and directed by Cate Shortland in her feature directorial debut. It was released on 16 September 2004 and screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It also swept the field at the 2004 Australian Film Institute Awards, winning every single feature film award.
Someone Like You is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Tony Goldwyn, based on Laura Zigman's 1998 novel Animal Husbandry. The film stars Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman, Marisa Tomei, and Ellen Barkin, and follows a heartbroken woman looking for a reason why she was dumped.
The Pallbearer is a 1996 American romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Matt Reeves in his directorial debut and starring David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Toni Collette, Michael Vartan, Michael Rapaport, and Barbara Hershey. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.
Diane Sugden is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Elizabeth Estensen. Since her first appearance in 1999, she has been involved in several high-profile storylines, including her marriage to Jack Sugden and his subsequent death, a battle with colon cancer, the revelation that her ex-husband Rodney Blackstock fathered her sister Val Lambert's son, being held hostage in a siege at the Woolpack, sleeping with Val's husband Eric Pollard, being involved in a helicopter crash which kills Val, being stabbed by Chas Dingle, and a feud with Chrissie White. In September 2021, it was announced that Estensen had made the decision to take a break from acting and her initial final appearance as Diane aired on 29 October 2021. However, the following year, Estensen returned to the role of Diane for a guest stint from 12 to 20 October 2022 to celebrate Emmerdale's 50th anniversary.
Tony Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Nick Pickard. His first appearance on-screen occurred on 23 October 1995, the inaugural episode of the programme, and is the longest-serving character in the soap. The character was created by Phil Redmond, as one of several main characters for the show.
Seventh Heaven is an American romantic drama film released in 1937 by 20th Century Fox, directed by Henry King and starring Simone Simon and James Stewart. The supporting cast features Jean Hersholt, Gregory Ratoff, Gale Sondergaard, and John Qualen.
Night of the Living Dorks is a 2004 German horror comedy film starring Tino Mewes, Manuel Cortez, Thomas Schmieder, and Collien Fernandes and written and directed by Mathias Dinter. It was released in the United States in 2007 by Anchor Bay Entertainment under the title "Night of the Living Dorks".
Erin Silver, known mononymously as Silver, is a fictional character on The CW television series 90210, the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. Portrayed by Jessica Stroup, the character was originally introduced in Beverly Hills, 90210 as Kelly Taylor and David Silver's half sister.
Sankarea: Undying Love is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsuru Hattori. The manga was serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine between December 2009 and September 2014 and compiled in eleven tankōbon volumes. The series has been licensed and is published in North America by Kodansha USA. An anime television adaptation by Studio Deen aired in Japan from April 5 to June 28, 2012. A novel adaptation by Ryō Suzukaze was published by Kodansha in July 2012.
"Lady of the Lake" is the third episode of the second season of the American ABC fantasy/drama television series Once Upon a Time, and the show's 25th episode overall, which aired on October 14, 2012.
Things I Never Told You is a 1996 Spanish-American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Isabel Coixet and starring Lili Taylor and Andrew McCarthy.
Love, Rosie is a 2014 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Christian Ditter from a screenplay by Juliette Towhidi, based on the 2004 novel Where Rainbows End by Irish author Cecelia Ahern. The film stars Lily Collins and Sam Claflin, with Christian Cooke, Tamsin Egerton, Suki Waterhouse, Jamie Beamish and Jaime Winstone in supporting roles.
"A Curious Thing" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time, and the show's 63rd episode overall, which aired on April 27, 2014. The episode, written by series creators Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz and directed by Ralph Hemecker, was met with excellent reviews for its fast paced storyline in this outing.
People Places Things is a 2015 American comedy film written and directed by James C. Strouse. The film stars Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Jessica Williams, Stephanie Allynne and Michael Chernus. The film was released on August 14, 2015, by The Film Arcade.
Gary Canning is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Damien Richardson. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 November 2014. Richardson previously appeared in the show in 1992. Following his first stint as Gary, Richardson reprised the role in late 2015 and returned the following year in a regular capacity. Gary is portrayed as an easy-going, work shy bogan. He was introduced as the estranged father of Kyle Canning, and his early storylines focused on his attempts to reconnect with his family. After accepting money from Paul Robinson to beat Ezra Hanley, Gary was sent to prison.
Harlow Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jemma Donovan. Harlow is introduced as an extension of the Robinson family, the secret daughter of Robert Robinson and the granddaughter of Paul Robinson. Donovan is also the real life daughter of Jason Donovan, who played Harlow's great uncle, Scott. Donovan auditioned for the role after a four-year break from acting and successfully got the role of Harlow, which producers then slightly tweaked to suit her. Donovan's casting announcement was made in March when she began filming, and she debuted on screens on 15 July 2019. Harlow is described as head strong, sensible and clever, and Donovan revealed that she liked her character. Donovan's co-star, Dennis, also explained that the character had some reservations about her new secret family initially. Harlow's early storylines involve a feud with Roxy Willis and a reunion with her mother, Prudence Wallace. Harlow's introduction was described as similar to Donovan's story of moving from London to Melbourne.