Dying to Love You (1993)

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

I know this film is based on a true story but the ending totally sucks. Roger Paulson (Matheson) is drawn in hook line and sinker by his new girlfriend's lies and fake tears while she takes him for everything he has, and all you want him to do is wake up and kick her to the curb.When he finally realises that she's just using him you clap and cheer, but don't hold your breath waiting for "...and he lived happily ever after." I'm a Tim fan so I would recommend anyone to watch this film as it's not too bad, but I have to say that the ending did leave me feeling frustrated to say the least.

add a vulnerable divorcée (Tim Matheson) and you have this story; the true story is based on Lisa Ann Rohne, who grew up poor, transient, and ran a ring of deception around Roger Paulson (Matheson).Overall, this is a good suspense story, although the naiveté of the victim a bit hard to believe. Tracy Pollan is very good as Rohne, who meets the Matheson character through personal ads. (Today it would be online dating, and we now have true crime based on that as well).It is very interesting to watch, in that Pollan consistently lies and manipulates Paulson, resides at his home and uses him to set up shop for her partner's credit card fraud, among other things. There are also supporting roles with Christine Ebersole, and Lee Garlington, who is excellent as Rita, Paulson's friend who suspects trouble.The issue of sociopathic behaviour is interesting, in general, and it would have been worthwhile for the writers to have explored Rohne's motivations, background, etc. Given the situation with online dating today, this is clearly a subject which merits more analysis, and we will certainly be hearing more about, in today's headlines. 9/10.

I see one poster asked what Michael J. Fox sees in his wife, who starred in this movie. God. Look at her. To boot, she seems dedicated like someone who took her marriage vows seriously should be, sticking with Fox through his disease. She was only acting in this movie, numbnuts. Anyhow, this...movie....Not that anyone will be reading my review of this Oscar winner anytime soon, but it was too hard to resist a sarcastic jab. At first, this flick was intriguing: decent acting with a tantalizing story -nice guy finishes first for once. Then it goes south real quick. And finally, completely absurd. When the credits revealed this to be a true story, I almost fell out of my seat. Surely it was a satire of a true story, an alternate universe take from bizarro. No dice. This idiot actually existed, and his stupidity as portrayed by Otter from Animal House was painful to watch. Roger Paulson, as depicted in this movie, deserved to be shot in the ass. Actually, spanked, then shot. Then shot again. Was Mr. Paulson really so much the idiot that he invites the recently released from jail for being a psychotic and certified nut Lisa Ann to sleep over at his house! with his kid there?! C'mon you dummy. It should be on his tombstone that his John Thomas got him killed. If only internet porn had been around back then, it would have saved him so much grief. I guess the acting was okay. That can be a director's fault. But jeez, assuming it was anywhere near to true story makes you wonder why some people aren't killed by stupidity earlier in life. Frustrating movie.

Today's pulp novels seem to be ubiquitous, toss-it-out & forget about them TV movies. "Dying to Love You" is equivalent to the best pulp novels of the 40s & 50s by people like James M. Cain, Jim Thompson, David Goodis, Patricia Highsmith, Dorothy Hughes, Cornell Woolrich, etc. No great melodramatics, no deep message, no glamorous hero or romantic heroine. Just a gritty, menacing & very scary story right out of today's (& yesterday's & tomorrow's) headlines. Very well made, very well cast & as sweaty & nerve-wracking a 90 minutes or so as I ever want to spend watching the screen. Kudos to all involved!