Love to go - The longest week of my life - DVD

Movie: As heir to a wealthy hotelier family, Conrad Valmont (Jason Bateman) has never really had to work a day in his life. The handsome bon vivant spends his time with countless lady acquaintances, at New York high society events or with his psychiatrist. But then Conrad's life changes drastically when his parents, who have been traveling the world for years, announce their divorce. As if that wasn't bad enough, suddenly all accounts are frozen and the spoiled Flilius can no longer reside at his parents' hotel. Now he must stay with his only friend, successful artist Dylan (Billy Crudup). That the latter is willing to help out with money and a roof over his head doesn't stop Conrad from falling into an affair with Dylan's girlfriend Beatrice (Olivia Wilde). Now he has to lie through his teeth to the only people he really cares about: He must hide his love affair with Beatrice from Dylan, while she must not find out that he doesn't have a dime to his name. And so begins for Conrad the longest week of his life...

Love to go is the feature film debut of Peter Glanz, who quite obviously takes his cue from two great role models: Woody Allen and Wes Anderson. While some of the visual gimmicks and the slightly ironic narrator are strongly reminiscent of Anderson's films, the character of Conrad seems to have sprung from an early Woody Allen work. The problem with such obvious role models, of course, is that there are bound to be comparisons. And Glanz can't quite keep up (yet). His dialogues lack the final bite and the dramaturgy still lacks a little pizzazz to actually be able to play in a league with Woody Allen and Co. But that the potential is there, is more than clear in many scenes here.

Because even if some scenes plod along a bit ponderously and so some small lengths arise, there are also always moments full of wonderfully bizarre humor and clever wordplay. That these moments work really well, however, is not only due to the good script, but primarily to the good-humored play of the actors. Jason Bateman in particular is simply wonderful as the arrogant egomaniac with facial expressions reduced to the bare minimum. Olivia Wilde as his adorable object of desire and Billy Crudup as the very grounded counterbalance to the spoiled Conrad also ensure that this comedy is fully convincing on an acting level alone.

Totally big laughs should not be expected here. Liebe to go is more of a comedy of quiet tones that encourages amused smirks and almost completely avoids thigh-slapping humor. If you like small arthouse comedies and can overlook minor flaws, you will definitely enjoy this unusual love story set against the usual atmospheric backdrop of New York. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: There is nothing to complain about the technical implementation. The sometimes somewhat artificial, very warm color scheme, which gives the film its very special atmosphere, as well as the good detail sharpness ensure that the visual realization leaves an all-around positive impression. Not unusual for a small comedy like this, the sound is rather restrained. Big surround moments shouldn't be expected. However, the dialogue and the soundtrack are well matched, which is why there is also here a satisfied good.

Extras: Except for the trailer, the DVD unfortunately has no additional material to offer.

Conclusion: Love to go is a charming comedy somewhere between Woody Allen and Wes Anderson, which does not reach the class of the great role models, but which can nevertheless with its somewhat quirky humor and the good actors over small hangs. The DVD presents the film in good picture and sound quality, only the lack of significant bonus material disappoints a little. Overall, a successful feature film debut of director Peter Glanz, which can be warmly recommended to lovers of unexciting independent comedies. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp