There are some bad movies that are no fun to review. Accidental Love is one of them because we all have an interest in seeing films by great directors succeed. This is particularly the case with 56-year-old David O. Russell whose films Three Kings, the Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle received multiple awards, nominations and critical acclaim.
Of course Russell has had disappointments before (I Heart Huckabees failed to gel), but the production of Accidental Love was reportedly shut down at various intervals due to financial problems, causing Russell to leave the film in 2010. The film was completed without him. It is a bit like Raymond Roussel’s 1910 absurdist novel, Impressions of Africa in which a photo-mechanical contraption automatically produces paintings with no human artists behind it. And this is why a film entitled Nailed begun by David O Russell in 2008 is being given a limited release as Accidental Love, with a fictitious Stephen Greene credited as director.
Another reason why Accidental Love is no fun to review is that Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tracy Morgan, Catherine Keener, Paul Reubens, James Brolin and Kirstie Alley form a top-notch ensemble cast capable of giving us a much needed summer comedy with bite. But they are left to flounder.
Accidental Love is (and certainly was in 2008) a topical political comedy about the need for national health and a satire on American politics in general. Biel plays Alice, a roller- skating waitress whose engagement and marriage is put on hold after a freak accident. The nail from a workman’s nail gun is lodged in her head and she is rushed to hospital where an urgent operation will save her.
The operation is halted (and the doctors grab burghers) when a hospital official runs in to announce that Alice has no medical insurance. Her parents cannot afford the $150,000 price of an operation. She tries some gruesome ‘home remedies’ (similar to the back-street abortion syndrome where abortions are illegal) but without success.
With an uncertain future, Alice sets out to Washington DC (she gathers a few supporters along the way) to persuade opportunist congressman Howard Birdwell (Jake Gyllenhaal) to make good on his campaigning promises. The relationship between Alice and Howard is fraught with suspicion and betrayal, but we are meant to believe there is something resembling love between them.
The satire falls flat as it is so clearly simplistic and obvious and the romcom is unconvincing. But behind the script, the premise itself, that combines a romcom with black humour, political satire, and a serious message about America’s lack of funding for urgent medical emergencies, is misjudged from the start. While Stephan Greene (Russell) is credited as the writer, under his name are three other writers and no doubt more had a hand. If there ever were a coherent vision for this film, it has been ironed out along with the laughs. The irony is that David O. Russell is renowned for giving actors career-best performances and break-through roles whereas here, even the acting is forgettable.
Joyce Glasser – MT film reviewer