I LOVE YOU TO DEATH

CAPSULE REVIEW –– Armed with a great cast, Kasdan attempts to turn this true life tale into black comedy gold. What he creates is an uneven film about the perils of infidelity with great characters and hilarious hijinks that never reaches its full potential. Kline plays Joey Bocca, a happily married pizza joint owner, who fulfills his insatiable sexual needs outside the home. Ullman gives one of her best performances as Joey's clueless wife, who tries to kill him, with the help of a number of other people, after she discovers his philandering ways. The main problem with the story is that it takes far too long to get to the attempted murder, which is the funniest section of the film, and spends way too much time on Joey and his women. Kline milks the liaisons for all they're worth and they do establish a good reason for his demise, but one gets the point within the first 10 minutes. The main reason to sit through this film is to see the bumbling attempts of Ullman, Phoenix, Plowright, Reeves and Hurt to knock off Kline. The sequence reaches a level of comic genius the rest of the film sorely lacks. The turns by Hurt and Reeves as two severely stoned hit men almost make the whole experience worthwhile. Though not the worst film any of the principals have made, it's certainly not one they'll be remembered for. A film for fans only.