Feast of Love
Encyclopedia
Feast of Love is a 2007 American drama film
directed by Robert Benton
, starring Morgan Freeman
, Greg Kinnear
, Radha Mitchell
, Billy Burke
and Selma Blair
. The film, based on the 2000 novel The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter, was first released on September 28, 2007, in the United States.
. Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman
) narrates about how love can affect one's life.
relationship with a woman, Jenny, she meets playing softball and leaves Bradley. The divorce effects Bradley greatly, but he soon finds love again in Diana, a realtor who also has a past with a married man named David. Though she ends her affair with David to marry Bradley they ultimately declare they are in love with each other and Diana leaves Bradley, again devastating him. Now twice divorced Bradley suffers a mini-breakdown and stabs himself in the hand. As he is getting stitched up in the hospital he falls for his doctor, Margaret. In the film's conclusion the two are revealed to marry.
, the nearby campuses of Western Seminary
and Reed College
were the actual location of filming. Locations at Reed include the Blue Bridge
, the front lawn and Eliot Circle. Scenes in the Jitters Cafe, owned by Kinnear's character, were filmed at the Fresh Pot at the corner of N Mississippi Avenue and Shaver streets in Portland.
reported that 41% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 104 reviews. Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 51 out of 100, based on 28 reviews.
Roger Ebert
reviewed that this film contains the worst performance of Fred Ward, "no movie can be very good that contains Fred Ward's worst performance!"
and Canada
, ranking #12 at the box office. It grossed a total of US$5.4 million worldwide — US$3.5 million in the United States and Canada and US$1.9 million in other territories.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Robert Benton
Robert Benton
Robert Douglas Benton is an American screenwriter and film director.Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee. He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University. Benton has won numerous awards for both writing and...
, starring Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
, Greg Kinnear
Greg Kinnear
Gregory "Greg" Kinnear is an American actor and television personality who first rose to stardom in 1991. He has appeared in more than 20 motion pictures, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in As Good as It Gets.-Early life:Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, the son of...
, Radha Mitchell
Radha Mitchell
Radha Rani Amber Indigo Anunda Mitchell is an Australian actress. Her film roles include Finding Neverland, Phone Booth, Man on Fire, Silent Hill, and the The Crazies-Early life:...
, Billy Burke
Billy Burke (actor)
William Albert "Billy" Burke is an American actor. He is known for his role as Charlie Swan in Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon and the 2010 film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. He is also known for his role as Gary Matheson in the second season of 24.-Life and career:Burke was born in...
and Selma Blair
Selma Blair
Selma Blair is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. She has performed in feature films including Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, The Fog, Purple Violets and Hellboy II: The Golden Army...
. The film, based on the 2000 novel The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter, was first released on September 28, 2007, in the United States.
Plot
The movie deals with love and its various incarnations, set within a community of friends in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
) narrates about how love can affect one's life.
Bradley
Bradley runs a small cafe in Portland. He has been married to his wife Kathryn for some time. However, their marriage becomes strained. Soon enough Kathryn begins a lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
relationship with a woman, Jenny, she meets playing softball and leaves Bradley. The divorce effects Bradley greatly, but he soon finds love again in Diana, a realtor who also has a past with a married man named David. Though she ends her affair with David to marry Bradley they ultimately declare they are in love with each other and Diana leaves Bradley, again devastating him. Now twice divorced Bradley suffers a mini-breakdown and stabs himself in the hand. As he is getting stitched up in the hospital he falls for his doctor, Margaret. In the film's conclusion the two are revealed to marry.
Oscar & Chloe
Oscar is a teenager working at Bradley's cafe who soon meets and falls in love with a girl named Chloe. However, Oscar is revealed to be living with his alcoholically abusive father, Bat. Their love endures as they decide to live together and even become engaged. At the wedding, Chloe reveals to Harry that she is pregnant, and plans to have another baby right after due to Harry's advice of having "two." When she visits a fortune teller, the psychic reveals Oscar will die. Though upset about the news Chloe soon forgets what the fortune tellers said. In the film's conclusion as everybody gathers for an afternoon in the park Oscar collapses, and despite attempts to get him to a hospital he dies of a heart defect due to the heavy traffic. The bat attempts to avenge his son's death by harming Chloe but Harry scares him off and asks if he and his wife Esther can adopt Chloe.Diana & David
Diana is a successful realtor and has been carrying on an affair with the married David. Though she asks him numerous times to leave his wife, Karen, of 11 years he cannot bring himself to do it. Their relationship becomes even more volatile when Diana begins dating Bradley and falls in love with him. David persists he loves Diana, but unable to leave his wife, Diana marries Bradley and ends their affair. However, their love is later rekindled when Karen discovers her husband was cheating, leaving him. Free at last, David and Diana have an emotional confrontation in the park that ends with a kiss that Bradley sees, fueling their divorce and Bradley stabbing himself. In the film's conclusion Diana and David are shown as a public and functionally happy couple.Harry & Esther
Harry and his wife Esther have been married a long time. Harry is a patron at Bradley's cafe and often provides the younger generation with advice on love. However, it is revealed that Harry and Esther are masking their own grief after the death of their adult son, Aaron. Harry reveals the nature of his son's death to Chloe, whom he and Esther grow very close to. Harry has also been struggling with the decision of going back to work as a Professor at a university. In the film's conclusion after Oscar's death he and Esther ofer to adopt a now widowed and pregnant Chloe, who tearfully accepts their offer.Cast
- Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
as Harry Stevenson - Greg KinnearGreg KinnearGregory "Greg" Kinnear is an American actor and television personality who first rose to stardom in 1991. He has appeared in more than 20 motion pictures, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in As Good as It Gets.-Early life:Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, the son of...
as Bradley Smith - Radha MitchellRadha MitchellRadha Rani Amber Indigo Anunda Mitchell is an Australian actress. Her film roles include Finding Neverland, Phone Booth, Man on Fire, Silent Hill, and the The Crazies-Early life:...
as Diana Croce - Billy BurkeBilly Burke (actor)William Albert "Billy" Burke is an American actor. He is known for his role as Charlie Swan in Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon and the 2010 film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. He is also known for his role as Gary Matheson in the second season of 24.-Life and career:Burke was born in...
as David Watson - Selma BlairSelma BlairSelma Blair is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. She has performed in feature films including Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, The Fog, Purple Violets and Hellboy II: The Golden Army...
as Kathryn Smith - Alexa DavalosAlexa DavalosAlexa Davalos is an American actress. She has appeared in several Hollywood films, including Feast of Love, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Mist, Defiance, and Clash of the Titans.-Early life:...
as Chloe Barlow - Toby HemingwayToby HemingwayToby Michael C. A. Hemingway is a British actor. He is best known for playing Reid Garwin in the 2006 supernatural thriller The Covenant. Hemingway also made appearances in CSI: Miami, Bones and Summerland...
as Oscar - Stana KaticStana KaticStana Katic is a film and television actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Detective Kate Beckett in ABC's Castle.- Early life :...
as Jenny - Erika MarozsánErika MarozsánErika Marozsán is a Hungarian actress. Her first movie appearance was in the hit Hungarian film, "Béketárgyalás, avagy az évszázad csütörtökig tart" , released in 1989...
as Margaret Vekashi - Jane AlexanderJane AlexanderJane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
as Esther Stevenson - Fred WardFred WardFreddie Joe "Fred" Ward is an American actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. He is best known for his starring roles in the motion pictures Remo Williams, Tremors, Henry & June, Short Cuts, The Right Stuff and Exit Speed...
as Bat Gamlen - Margo MartindaleMargo MartindaleMargo Martindale is an American stage, television and film actress. In 2011, Martindale won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Mags Bennett on Justified.-Early life:...
as Mrs. Maggarolian - Missi PyleMissi PyleAndrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
as Agatha Smith - Alex Mentzel as Billy Smith
- Shannon LucioShannon LucioShannon Lucio is an American actress who played Lindsay Gardner on The O.C..Lucio is a graduate of the University of Southern California and was cast in the lead female role of the CBS television drama Moonlight , but was replaced by Sophia Myles in April 2007...
as Janey - Scott Patrick GreenScott Patrick GreenScott Patrick Green is an actor. He is often cast in Gus Van Sant's movies.He appeared in Feast of Love , Paranoid Park , Last Days , Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and My Own Private Idaho and various music videos.Scott is also a still photographer...
as Young Minister at Funeral
Production
While many of the movies scenes are set at Portland State UniversityPortland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
, the nearby campuses of Western Seminary
Western Seminary
Western Seminary is an evangelical, non-denominational theological seminary with campuses in Portland, Oregon, as well as in San Jose and Sacramento in California. The seminary offers Master’s Degrees in Divinity, Counseling, Intercultural Studies, Leadership and Theology along with Doctoral...
and Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
were the actual location of filming. Locations at Reed include the Blue Bridge
Blue Bridge (Oregon)
The Blue Bridge is a curved pedestrian and bicycle bridge. The bridge connects the north and south halves of the Reed College campus in Portland, Oregon, United States...
, the front lawn and Eliot Circle. Scenes in the Jitters Cafe, owned by Kinnear's character, were filmed at the Fresh Pot at the corner of N Mississippi Avenue and Shaver streets in Portland.
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 41% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 104 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 51 out of 100, based on 28 reviews.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
reviewed that this film contains the worst performance of Fred Ward, "no movie can be very good that contains Fred Ward's worst performance!"
Box office performance
In its opening weekend, the film grossed US$1.7 million in 1,200 theaters in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, ranking #12 at the box office. It grossed a total of US$5.4 million worldwide — US$3.5 million in the United States and Canada and US$1.9 million in other territories.