Splendor (1999 film)

Last updated
Splendor
Splendor (1999 film) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Gregg Araki
Written byGregg Araki
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJim Fealy
Edited by
Music by Daniel Licht
Production
companies
Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release dates
  • January 29, 1999 (1999-01-29)(Sundance)
  • September 17, 1999 (1999-09-17)(New York City)
  • October 1, 1999 (1999-10-01)(Los Angeles)
Running time
92 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$284,119 [1]

Splendor is a 1999 romantic comedy film written and directed by Gregg Araki and starring Kathleen Robertson, Johnathon Schaech, and Matt Keeslar. The film deals with a three-way relationship between the three leads.

Contents

Plot

In Los Angeles, Veronica is a 22-year-old struggling actress from a small town who is looking to restart her dating life after a year-long dry spell. Attending a Halloween party at a nightclub with her best friend Mike, Veronica meets and becomes instantly attracted to two men who are polar opposites: Abel, a sensitive freelance rock critic and aspiring novelist, and Zed, a dim-witted drummer in a punk rock band. As Veronica and Mike head backstage, Abel pursues Veronica romantically, and she gives him her phone number. She then has sex with Zed on the floor of the club bathroom, and the two awaken in bed together the next morning.

Deciding to explore her options, Veronica goes on a date with Abel, and they develop an instant connection. After both men agree to share her, Veronica starts dating Abel and Zed separately. The men are antagonistic to one another when they first meet face-to-face, but after a drunken game of truth or dare, the three of them wind up in bed together. Within weeks, the three are living together in Veronica's small apartment, forming a ménage à trois . Mike is critical of their relationship, though she warms to the concept over time.

At an audition for a role in a television film, Veronica meets Ernest, a charming, wealthy young director who becomes smitten with her. After Ernest treats Veronica to dinner, she finds herself questioning her relationship with the immature and financially irresponsible Abel and Zed. When Veronica unexpectedly becomes pregnant, the three-way relationship becomes strained and she temporarily moves out of the apartment to stay with Mike. In the meantime, Veronica finds comfort in the company of Ernest, who takes her on a weekend getaway to Maui.

After Veronica returns from Maui, Abel and Zed are devastated when she leaves both of them for Ernest, whom she agrees to marry despite not loving. On the wedding day, Veronica breaks down in tears and confides in Mike that she misses Abel and Zed, though she quickly collects herself and proceeds with the wedding. At the urging of Mike, who secretly calls Abel and Zed, the two men rush to stop the wedding, professing their love to Veronica and begging her to give them another chance. Some time later, Veronica has given birth to twin daughters while resuming her relationship with Abel and Zed. When the men ask Veronica who the father of the babies is, she replies, "They're ours."

Cast

Themes

Speaking to Filmmaker magazine, Araki referred to the film as being "very much about trying to live by your own rules...about achieving conventional happiness in an unconventional way." In terms of genre, he said "I wanted a sort of Cary Grant stylization. As in screwball comedy, the emotions are real, but there is also a kind of sheen to the performance." [2]

Reception

Splendor received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 62% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. [3] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [4]

The Chicago Reader described it as being "marvelously neutral toward a type of sexual and domestic relationship that's often exploited or overblown", [5] and The Austin Chronicle stated that "there's a genuine, sparky chemistry between the three...and Robertson, particularly, is luminous in her role." [6] The Daily News was less positive, saying that the film "seems more like a vapid sitcom made on a low budget" and summarising it as "meaningless, if perverted, fun." [7] Variety stated that, "though less violent and macabre than all of (Araki's) previous movies, Splendor is not exactly fresh, nor a radical point of departure...a seductively sensual picture that entices while it lasts but evaporates like an air bubble as soon as it is over." [8]

See also

References

  1. "Splendor (1999)". The Numbers .
  2. "Gregg Araki's Splendor". Filmmaker . 1999. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  3. "Splendor". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 10, 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  4. "Splendor". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  5. Alspector, Lisa. "Splendor". Chicago Reader . Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  6. Savlov, Marc (November 19, 1999). "Splendor". Austin Chronicle . Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  7. Mathews, Jack (September 17, 1999). "Splendor". New York Daily News . Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  8. Levy, Emanuel (February 11, 1999). "Splendor". Variety . Retrieved July 4, 2012.