Plot: In a coffee shop in Portland, Harry (Morgan Freeman) witnesses relationships coming and going. Extreme romantic Bradley (Greg Kinnear) keeps falling, no matter how hard. And young love blossoms between another couple, Chloe and Oscar. Who’s it for: If you need to cling to some sort of faith that things will work out with your relationship, this film could help I suppose.
Expectations: I’m a sucker for Morgan Freeman, the city of Portland and films that dissect relationships, so it seems like I’d be a fan.
SCORECARD
Actors: Morgan Freeman as Harry Stevenson: Harry has me for a second when he explains to his wife that he just saw two women fall in love, but after that it’s just Harry observing others and barely dealing with his own problems. Grade: 6
Greg Kinnear as Bradley: Are you excited to watch a man go blindly in to love and continuously get screwed over by the women in his life? Me neither. Plus, he flirts with a woman in the hospital when he should potentially be in the psychiatric ward. Grade: 5
Alexa Davalos and Toby Hemingway as Chloe and Oscar: They are the young couple in love in “Feast.” It’s headfirst, partly endearing, but tough to believe in. And then Oscar’s drunk father comes off like a cliché instead of a terrifying individual. Grade: 3
Talking: OK, “Feast” proves that Morgan Freeman doesn’t have to narrate every film he is in, especially because his character typically recaps the day’s activities to his wife who for some reason, rarely leaves the house. Grade: 4
Sights and sounds: The city of Portland deserves better than this film. And the post-game celebration that takes place from the Portland State Vikings (a team I didn’t know existed) seems completely out of place. Grade: 5
OVERALL “Feast of Love” isn’t about love, no matter how hard it tries to tell you. The majority of the film is filled with arguing, betrayal and fear with a twinge of hope. And when a palm reader is added to the mix, it’s too much. The journey makes you doubt the director or writer even believe in a normal relationship, and then at the end there is a quick speech declaring it’s better to go through all the difficulties because you’ll find happiness in the end. Actually, I believed in love just fine before “Feast.” Overall Grade: 4