Mad Love (1995)

One of the best films i have seen

A Brilliant Conflict

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Hard to buy this as a love story when Matt is in love with crazy. He doesn't love her. Doesn't know who she really even is. All he knows is her crazy behavior. Showing his happy memories of her at the end is silly. Her actions and feelings weren't real. Oh, and this is not Depressive or Bipolar behavior and I'm bipolar. You don't talk to yourself like you're autistic (in the car as she's driving). Scene in the hotel room is not bipolar either. In any case she's out of her mind and not sure how anyone could want to be with that. Hard to buy but character was a kid so I'll give it a pass. I liked the actors a lot. Plot could have been better.

I can't fathom why so many people have called this a "romantic comedy". It is in no way a comedy and while there is a romance that carries along with it, the plot isn't about the romance. It's about mental illness and how it affects the person and those around them.It felt like the ending as intended was when the doors closed behind Drew's character as she entered the hospital. The narrated ending seems tacked on, probably had too many people at the screenings that didn't care for whatever was the original ending. The studio perhaps felt pressure to make it a bit more upbeat and hopeful. I didn't mind an upbeat ending too much though, I'm generally a sucker for "Hollywood" endings. Plus it didn't seem to take away anything from her suffering. She's doing better with the help of doctors, not magically cured.As for Chris O'Donnell's performance, I thought it was fine. He didn't stand out and I don't think he was supposed to. His character was supposed to be a bit shy and geeky. This was obvious from the scenes leading up to him talking to Drew's character.As a disclaimer I like Drew Barrymore in everything I've seen her in, not necessarily the movie, but her performance at least. This has to be not only one of her best performances but one of the best performances in a film period. Yes, a lot of people would disagree with me but for anyone who has known someone suffering from depression and especially bi-polar disorder I think they'd agree she portrayed it amazingly well.

Drew shines in her performance as Casey, and her portrayal of this type of mental illness is brilliant (coming from someone who suffers from it) , she is particularly moving in the restaurant scene. The whole movie is just about wanting to be free and getting away from the rules of society. Chris o' Donnell's role in the movie is more like the audiences - trying to understand Drew (Casey) and what she's going through while being madly in love with her. As with mental illness not a lot of people "got" this movie - and thats a shame, because this is one of Drews better films. I prefer her playing these parts than the goody two shoes family style films she started to do. Bring back the wild child!

Mad Love probably generated as much of a viewer ship as it did because of the likability of the two principal, Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell. I never thought of the movie as anything special, and figured that this would probably survive obscurity by fans of the cast or those who appreciate a decent dreamy romantic drama every now again, for which it is quite abundant.O'Donnell, though never a spectacular lead, carries well himself well as the good-natured, soft-spoken high school teen, Matt Leland. Upon meeting flamboyant, rule-breaker Casey Roberts (Drew Barrymore, working with the type of characters that always seem to suit her), Leland falls in love with the rather tragic character and goes through one of those earmarked defiances and coming-of-age experiences. That is because Casey is an emotionally unstable character because she is bipolar.As their relationship furthers, free-spirited Casey grows rather obsessive in the relationship and a bit too detached from reality. After a few minor incidents, or at least what you might consider relatively minor while the characters in the story might not, Casey's parents want to commit her to a mental institution to undergo therapy. Destined not to let his first true love being lobotomized and unnecessarily drugged, Matt and Casey hit the road like fugitives in love. The material is very routine, but there is something at least, from the principal actors' ability to carry it out well and, for the most part, believably (save some of Barrymore's poor delivery at points) and with minimal corniness. Best of all, it does a good job with getting you to stay connected to the characters. You feel a bit free-spirited yourselves when (if you're enjoying the movie, of course) Matt and Casey endure their hijinks. You get that connection when Casey is forced into the hospital; the uneasiness that Matt feels when he runs away with Casey; and the pressure that he faces throughout. At least they had effectively done that much.Not an impressive or all to memorable movie, though, as I said before, you should be pleased if you generally enjoy O'Donnell and Barrymore, or, if you're just a sucker for dreamy romantic dramas.