There are so many things wrong with Thomas Vinterberg’s “It’s All about Love” that if I wrote them down, this would be a five page review that would sound like a spiteful rant. That’s ironic because at it’s heart, this film seems to be pointing an accusatory finger at “money hungry” and “loveless” Americans. I don’t mind if a film or filmmaker wants to make that statement, but I do mind if it is not made well.
From what I gather, “It’s All About Love” centers on the loss of love in the world and specifically, between that of John (Phoenix) and Elena (Danes). John arrives in an incredibly phony New York to serve Elena divorce papers. I say phony in that the people John encounters put on false faces of cheerfulness as they greet John and then proceed to step over dead bodies that pollute the city.
It seems people are dying because their hearts are not working. Ohhh….what symbolism. Not only are they dying but the earth has entered an ice age and boy is it cold. Elena doesn’t mind though because she’s the world biggest ice skating star and her entourage, which is mostly family, will stop short of nothing to make sure she stays the best. Thus John must resolve his lost love feelings for Elena and they must escape New York to some unknown place for a sketchy reason.
Also, for some completely contrived reason Sean Penn appears as John’s brother who was afraid to fly but has since been given an injection that was so strong, he’s now afraid to land. Thus, he phones John every day or so from the air to babble on in some horrible Polish accent that both Phoenix and Danes aborted about 15 minutes into this film. The shaky plot, heavy handed “symbolism,” bad accents and a story line that had me walking the line between laughter and bored screams nearly made me get up and leave. Yet sadly, with a film like this I figured it would have an ending so ridiculous I’d be mad if I missed it. “It’s All About Love” doesn’t even deliver that.
