Recent viewings

The Pompatus of Love. The movie that dares ask the question, what on earth did Steve Miller mean? Pompadours of Love? Impetus? Prophetess? What?

In some ways it's a standard light romantic comedy, with two major differences. It's written from the masculine viewpoint, rather than the usual feminine viewpoint. (In fact, it's very much like a male-oriented version of Sex in the City. ) And it eschews the traditional contrived happy ending for a rather inconclusive collection of ambiguous outcomes that leave the lead characters not much different than they were at the beginning.

Unfortunately, the four male leads are rather obvious stereotypes. There's the Studly But Shallow Fratboy, the Blue Collar Guy, the Insecure Intellectual, and the Sensitive-but-Flaky Artistic Guy. Their various romantic entanglements are amusing but never really seem believable. Whether the inconclusive ending is satisfying probably depends on the viewer's tolerance for self-consciously hip nihilism.