I Love Your Work
Encyclopedia
I Love Your Work is an American
psychological thriller
film
completed in 2003
and released theatrically in 2005. The film was directed by Adam Goldberg
and written by Goldberg and Adrian Butchart
. An indictment of celebrity culture
, it was not a commercial success. The cast includes Giovanni Ribisi
, Christina Ricci
, and Vince Vaughn
. The movie premiered on September 5, 2003 at the Toronto Film Festival.
The DVD was distributed by THINKFilm
on March 28, 2006.
. Being an actor, he was constantly watching himself in movies and magazines. For example, in the beginning of the film Gray was at his movie with Shana where he was watching himself in the movie while he was chased by himself. An example of Gray's narcissistic tendencies is when he was having a dream where Gray and Shauna were sitting on their couch watching themselves on television watching themselves watch television. Another example of Adam Goldberg's adaptation of narcissism is where Gray was glancing at the television and a talk show about narcissism just happened to be playing, and the host's guest seemed to be directing the full weight of her attention upon Gray. Gray, being so wrapped up in his own thoughts, completely disregarded what the woman had said. The selfish behavior and concern only for his career cause him to end up with the life he always dreamed of. However, he realizes the life he dreamed of does not make him happy and regrets all that he has done.
The number 4 appears on door numbers, its release date, and the VHS credit beginning time (1:44:44). It is also present in the film as the video store's address and as the date on which John's letter is written to Gray (04/04/04). The idea of the Four Temperaments He exhibits behavior from each of the four temperaments throughout the film. His disappointment is characteristic of the melancholic, his anger and instability true of the choeric, during his day at the park he is trying to fit in as the sanguine temperament strives to, and the lazy phlegmatic who is calm and unemotional as Gray is towards Mia near the end of the film.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
completed in 2003
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
and released theatrically in 2005. The film was directed by Adam Goldberg
Adam Goldberg
Adam Charles Goldberg is an American actor, director, producer, and musician.-Early life:Goldberg was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Donna and Earl Goldberg, a former lifeguard. His father is Jewish and his mother is a "lapsed" Roman Catholic of Irish, French, and German descent...
and written by Goldberg and Adrian Butchart
Adrian Butchart
Adrian Butchart is an award winning British screenwriter and film producer.In 2003 Butchart wrote his first film, the highly acclaimed indie arthouse film I Love Your Work with actor and director Adam Goldberg...
. An indictment of celebrity culture
Celebrity culture
A celebrity culture is the structure that influences those deemed to be celebrities.-Brief history of celebrity culture:Any medium can be viewed as a vehicle for creating a celebrity culture. The famous religious books of the world's faiths are replete with examples of individuals who are well...
, it was not a commercial success. The cast includes Giovanni Ribisi
Giovanni Ribisi
Giovanni Ribisi is an American actor. His film credits include Gone in 60 Seconds, Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan, The Mod Squad, The Gift, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation and more recently, Public Enemies and Avatar...
, Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
, and Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
. The movie premiered on September 5, 2003 at the Toronto Film Festival.
The DVD was distributed by THINKFilm
THINKFilm
THINKFilm is a privately held production and distribution company founded in September 2001. It has been a division of David Bergstein’s Capitol Films since 2006. Bergstein also serves as the company’s chairman...
on March 28, 2006.
Plot summary
Gray Evans, a movie star, is losing his grip on reality, unable to adjust to his own celebrity, and addicted to romantic fantasies about idealistic love and his once simple life. With his celebrity marriage to the beautiful actress Mia already strained by jealousy and frustration after only a year together, Gray is looking for escape. An avid photographer, his voyeuristic nature leads him to a local video store, where an encounter with the video clerk's wife Jane leads to a dangerous obsession over what he imagines to be an ideal love. Gray falls further over the edge, as his conceptions of love and reality are further blurred by the similarities between Jane and his ex-girlfriend Shana to the point where obsession becomes delusion. Gray's life is further complicated by the realities of his own celebrity, an obsessive fan and the need for him to create his public persona as a successful man with a successful marriage. Profession, obsession, and delusion twist together beyond repair when Gray pulls the video clerk, an ambitious screenwriter, into his world by offering to make a movie with him. Their relationship succeeds in bringing him closer to Jane but takes away any last hold on reality, as his fantasy leads to destruction. The layered narrative swings around on itself, taking us on a journey through love, madness and paranoia all the while holding on to a darkly comic view of its own absurd world of crazy Russian bodyguards, loyal assistants, playboy producers and true celebrity.Themes
The cause for Gray’s madness in the film is his obsession with himself. Even Gray's profession revolved around narcissismNarcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
. Being an actor, he was constantly watching himself in movies and magazines. For example, in the beginning of the film Gray was at his movie with Shana where he was watching himself in the movie while he was chased by himself. An example of Gray's narcissistic tendencies is when he was having a dream where Gray and Shauna were sitting on their couch watching themselves on television watching themselves watch television. Another example of Adam Goldberg's adaptation of narcissism is where Gray was glancing at the television and a talk show about narcissism just happened to be playing, and the host's guest seemed to be directing the full weight of her attention upon Gray. Gray, being so wrapped up in his own thoughts, completely disregarded what the woman had said. The selfish behavior and concern only for his career cause him to end up with the life he always dreamed of. However, he realizes the life he dreamed of does not make him happy and regrets all that he has done.
Symbolism
The names, John, Jane, and Shauna all have the same meaning: God is gracious because Gray keeps confusing the three characters with each other and himself.The number 4 appears on door numbers, its release date, and the VHS credit beginning time (1:44:44). It is also present in the film as the video store's address and as the date on which John's letter is written to Gray (04/04/04). The idea of the Four Temperaments He exhibits behavior from each of the four temperaments throughout the film. His disappointment is characteristic of the melancholic, his anger and instability true of the choeric, during his day at the park he is trying to fit in as the sanguine temperament strives to, and the lazy phlegmatic who is calm and unemotional as Gray is towards Mia near the end of the film.
Cast
- Giovanni RibisiGiovanni RibisiGiovanni Ribisi is an American actor. His film credits include Gone in 60 Seconds, Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan, The Mod Squad, The Gift, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation and more recently, Public Enemies and Avatar...
– Gray Evans - Franka PotenteFranka PotenteFranka Potente is a German film actress and singer. She first appeared in the comedy After Five in the Forest Primeval and gained critical recognition in the action thriller Lola rennt . Potente received Germany's highest film and television awards for her performances in Run Lola Run and...
– Mia - Joshua JacksonJoshua JacksonJoshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
– John Everhart - Marisa Coughlan – Jane Styros
- Christina RicciChristina RicciChristina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
– Shana - Jason Lee – Larry Hortense
- Rick HoffmanRick HoffmanRick Hoffman is an American actor and is best known for his roles as Patrick Van Dorn in Jake in Progress and more recently as Louis Litt in USA Network's legal drama Suits.-Early life:...
– Gray's Attorney - Vince VaughnVince VaughnVincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
– Stiev - Shalom HarlowShalom HarlowShalom Harlow is a Canadian model and actress.-Life and career:Harlow was born in Oshawa, Ontario, the daughter of Sandi Herbert and David Harlow. Though her mother named her Shalom , meaning "peace" in Hebrew, her family is not Jewish. She was discovered at a Cure concert in Toronto and started...
– Charlotte - Jared HarrisJared HarrisJared Francis Harris is a British character actor, well known for playing the obnoxious Mac McGrath in the Adam Sandler film Mr. Deeds, and for his portrayal of Lane Pryce on the AMC series Mad Men.- Personal life :...
– Jehud - Lake BellLake Bell-Early life:Bell was born in New York City, the daughter of Robin Bell, owner of the design firm Robin Bell Design, Inc. in New York, and Harvey Siegel. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Protestant, and Bell has stated that she was raised in a "comically dysfunctional family".Bell attended The...
– Felicia - Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
– Himself - Haylie DuffHaylie DuffHaylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the older sister of actress and singer Hilary Duff...
– Fan