The Pompatus of Love
The Pompatus of Love | |
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Directed by | Richard Schenkman |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Music by | John Hill |
Production company | Cinepix Film Properties |
Distributed by | BMG Independents |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States[1] |
Language | English |
The Pompatus of Love is a 1996 American comedy film that tells the story of four guys discussing women and the meaning of the word "pompatus". This made-up word is found in two Steve Miller songs, "Enter Maurice" and "The Joker", the latter of which contains the line "Some people call me Maurice / 'cause I speak of the pompatus of love". Wolfman Jack can also be heard using the term in his spoken lines in The Guess Who's "Clap for the Wolfman."
The low-budget, independent film received mostly negative reviews.
Plot[]
The film revolves around four friends and their relationships with women. Set to the background of upscale Manhattan bars, lofts and apartments, the guys engage in sharp banter and one-upsmanship. The characters, Mark, a therapist (Jon Cryer); Runyon, a playwright (Tim Guinee); Josh, a playboy (Adrian Pasdar) and Phil, a plumber (), try (generally unsuccessfully) to sort out their troubled love-lives. Mark and his girlfriend (Kristen Wilson) are hung up over moving in together; Runyon is hung up over his old girlfriend Kathryn (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), who has moved to Los Angeles; the womanizing Josh is hung up on Phil's sister, Gina (Paige Turco), who has an abusive husband; Phil, who is married with children, finds himself hung up on an English interior designer (Kristin Scott Thomas).
The characters in the film spend much of their time trying to decipher the word "pompatus," wondering whether they are mis-hearing the lyrics: "Prophetess"? "Impetus"? "Profitless"? "Impotence"? "Pompous Ass"? "Pom-pom tits"? "Poconos"?
Cast[]
- Jon Cryer as Mark
- Adrian Pasdar as Josh
- Mia Sara as Cynthia
- Kristin Scott Thomas as Caroline
- Tim Guinee as Runyon
- Adam Oliensis as Phil
- Arabella Field as Lori - Phil's Wife
- Paige Turco as Gina
- Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Kathryn
- Kristen Wilson as Tasha
- Charlie Murphy as Saxophone Man
- Jennifer Tilly as Tarzaan
- Roscoe Lee Browne as Leonard Folder
- Lianna Pai as Ling (as Liana Pai)
- Renee Props as Flynn (as Reneé Props)
- Jim Turner as Dick Spellman
- Fisher Stevens as Sitcom Star
- Michael McKean as Sitcom Star
- Angela Featherstone as Times Square Kisser
- Richard Schenkman as TV Newscaster (uncredited)
Release[]
The film had trouble getting a distributor after its festival run, as several other male-oriented romantic comedy films were complete around the same time. The TV series Friends had also aired by the time production completed.[2]
Reception[]
Rotten Tomatoes reports that 17% of six critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 3.8/10.[3] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated it 2/4 stars and wrote, "This is an overdirected and overedited film, in love with the technique of short cuts in which characters finish each other's sentences."[4] John Anderson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film's premise is "ludicrous and perfect, since the film is basically about the uninvolving being obsessed with the uninteresting".[5] Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times called it "a literate, funny film about men, women and the many mysteries of love in the 1990s".[6] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the film, like other romantic comedy films about men, uses a stock premise that is false: men do not understand what women want.[7]
Awards[]
- Best Comedy —
- Gold Award —
- Silver Award — , Portugal
References[]
- ^ "The Pompatus of Love (1995)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Retrieved 2016-03-22.[dead link][dead link]
- ^ Evans, Greg (1995-12-17). "Spate Of New Pix Tests Limits Of Friendship". Variety. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ "The Pompatus of Love (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1996-08-09). "The Pompatus Of Love". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2016-03-22 – via RogerEbert.com.
- ^ Anderson, John (1996-07-26). "'Pompatus' Wrestles a World of Self-Doubt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (1996-07-26). "The Pompatus of Love (1995)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (1996-09-27). "FILM REVIEW – 'Pompatus of Love' Is for Jokers Only". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
External links[]
- 1996 films
- English-language films
- 1996 romantic comedy films
- American films
- American independent films
- American romantic comedy films
- Films directed by Richard Schenkman
- 1996 independent films