Plot Summary
Based on the acclaimed short-story collection by celebrated Mississippi writer Larry Brown, “Big Bad Love” is the tale of struggling Mississippi writer Leon Barlow (Arliss Howard) working to make fiction from his past, his dreams, and the dim sound of the future bearing down on him. At the same time, he tries to balance his obsession to create with the needs of those around him, including the ex-wife (Debra Winger) who haunts him; a son on the verge of adolescence; a small daughter with an incurable illness; a war buddy and best friend (Paul Le Mat) puzzling over his own consuming love for a funeral home heiress (Rosanne Arquette), and a mother (Angie Dickinson) who sees in her son the return and demise of her beloved husband all over again. Acclaimed songwriter Tom Waits composed the film's original score for this indie drama from IFC Films.
Credits
Director
Screenwriters
Producer
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
41%- Reviews Counted: 58
- Fresh: 24
- Rotten: 34
- Average Rating: 5.4/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: ... alternately charming and annoying.
Fresh: Brave and admirable for the trust that it puts in a viewer's intuition and willingness in going along with it right through to its rewarding finish.
Fresh: [F]rom the performances and the cinematography to the outstanding soundtrack and unconventional narrative, the film is blazingly alive and admirable on many levels.
Rotten: Admirably ambitious but self-indulgent.
Customer Reviews
Crap
Histrionic rubbish. Used to like Arliss Howard as an actor but he is his, and his wife's, and every other member of this good cast's worst director. Waste of rental fee. Couldn't finish it.
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Also Available
- Big Bad Love (Music from the Motion Picture)
- Various Artists