Unmade Beds

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At first glance, Nicholas Barker's documentary about four New York City singles seeking partners through personal ads looks like it's trying to be a hipper, East Coast version of the Cameron Crowe hit Singles. The characters--two men and two women who play themselves--address the camera with candid, earthy, and bitter observations about the dating scene. And the film titillates the viewer with male and female nudity within the first five minutes. But where Singles was brightened by goofy humor and a hard-hitting soundtrack, Unmade Beds is weighed down by its characters' desperation and a mostly lackluster musical score. While two of the characters are looking for long-term relationships, the more interesting pair have shallower goals: Brenda, a shapely Italian woman in her 40s, wants a man who will pay her bills in exchange for "sex a couple of times a month, maybe four." Mikey, a 54-year-old self-described Jack Nicholson/Harvey Keitel type, is looking for babes to take home for the night and thinks nothing of walking out on a blind date who turns out to be a "mutt." Ordinarily, these are not people you would invite into your living room; however, Barker weaves their stories together in a way that provides sardonic and occasionally entertaining social commentary on the mating game. To emphasize the film's motif of voyeurism, the soliloquies are interspersed with frequent, almost painterly shots peeking through the windows of random apartment dwellers engaged in activities ranging from vacuuming to intercourse. These interludes are the most real and compelling moments in the film, and it is a shame that Barker does not let the viewer see more of these other, less desperate New Yorkers' lives. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Customer Reviews:

Superior documentary on the New York "dating" scene.......2007-03-01

Although this film was made in 1999 or 2000 (sometime around there), there's little doubt that the worries, hangups, and issues revealed in this much too overlooked documentary are still very much relevant today.

Nicholas Baker, the filmmaker, focuses on the dating concerns of four New Yorkers, all different--two men and two women. While each is noticeably different from the others, what soon becomes apparent is that there is a similarity in perspective in at least two of them--blatant selfishness. The other two, more sympathetic, are just as fascinating because of their intense involvement in trying to find the right person, knowing full well each has what is commonly perceived to be a serious problem from the point of view of dating--one is overweight (female) and the other is short (male).

What makes this film so compelling is the extremes to which some (maybe a lot more than some) people will go to get the right person into their lives, and especially, making sure the WRONG person does not play a part. Hence the man who is not short--and who is really sleazy--has all kinds of protective measures established to insure that he does not wind up with a "dog", and the non-overweight woman does whatever she can in her power to make sure she gets a rich guy.

A fascinating film to view if you want to see the petty and base sides of human behavior, revealed in all their glory.

Definitely recommended.

Documentary with spirit.......2006-01-26

This documentary was broadcasted on Danish TV last year, and when I saw it, it both amused me, but it also reminded me, that our efforts to achieve happiness comes at different prices.
Brenda Monte is the true reason that I bought this DVD. Ever since I saw her in her bodystocking, the image has been printed on my eyeballs.
The program was on a rerun this month, and I decided, that this movie should be part of my collection.
I'll see it because of the story, and I'll let Brenda cheer me up more than once. I would definately have dated her, if the chance had come up.

a great overlooked film.......2000-11-06

"Unmade Beds" cleverly uses the motif of the dating game to take a clear-eyed, penetrating look at modern neurosis and how the myriad distractions of urban life mirror our fractured sense of self. The four characters are initially quite sympathetic in their quest for love, but as the film progresses they reveal a pathological sense of self-loathing and meaninglessness, in turn making them very unattractive. It's a very entertaining and vastly underrated film, and the soundtrack is in fact very witty and contemporary. Recommended.

Unmade Beds, the book.......2000-09-10

I found the art in this book version of the cult classic Unmade Beds to be riveting. It makes an excellent companion to the movie, of which I am a big fan.

Unmade Beds is completely fascinating.......2000-09-10

I thought the soundtrack on this film was sensational -- and I was completely captivated by the story of these four singles lives. I highly, highly recommend you buy a copy.

Average customer rating:

Debbie Harry is nothing but the best in my book.
SEE DEBBIE HARRY circa 1976!!
Don't be tempted!!

Unmade Beds
Starring: Kitty Sondern , Marissa Gallagher , Deborah Harry , David Forshtay , and Diane Cohen
Director: Amos Poe
Manufacturer: Eclectic DVD Dist.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005R1MY
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Description

This 77 minute DVD tells the story of Rico, a guy who lives in New York in 1976 but lives his own life in Paris during the time of the New Wave. He's a photographer who thinks he?s a gangster, a soft gangster, a loner, an outsider, who uses his camera like a gun, loading it with bullets of film. He's constantly on the look for a reality to fulfill his fantasy, and as long as he has that energy, he lives. Of course, he's also a romantic, and this is his downfall, because he believes all photographers to be liars. When Rico falls in love, the delicate balance of the world he has made for himself is disrupted.

Customer Reviews:

Debbie Harry is nothing but the best in my book........2005-09-30

Anything with Debbie Harry is excellent. Shipment was prompt. DVD brand new. Very affordable.

SEE DEBBIE HARRY circa 1976!!.......2002-10-24

Okay, this is a little amateurish and slow, but where else can you see gorgeous Deborah Harry circa 1976; filmed before Blondie's first album was even in stores? Unfortunately, she's not the star of the film, and director Amos poe doesn't give her much to do in her one scene where she has 6 or 7 lines of dialogue before launching into an a capella number called "Sweet Thing". Then she's gone, and you press STOP on your DVD player! I can't say the rest of the movie is bad because I never get past Debbie! Amos also made three other films at around the same time, THE FOREIGNER (also with Debbie in a small singing cameo), BLANK GENERATION (documenting 1976-era CBGBs also including a section on Blondie), and NITE LUNCH, another docu-style account of the early scene circa 1975 with short clip of the Blondies. I recommend all of them for Blondie collectors and affecianados of the NYC punk era.

Don't be tempted!!.......2002-05-15

I will admit I bought this mainly for the appearance of Debbie Harry, but, believe me, unless you are a completist it's not worth it! This black and white (ultra)low budget art film is badly recorded, the script and acting are terrible, and the ponderous direction makes the film crawl at a pace that would bore a snail.

Absolutely dire. If you want an interesting film from the punk generation go for Jubilee instead.

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