Living Out Loud (1998)

58% of critics liked it
(33 reviews)
58% of users liked it
(3,421 ratings)

Noted screenwriter Richard LaGravenese made his directorial debut with this dramatic comedy about two unlikely people who find each other while looking for love. Judith Nelson (Holly Hunter) is suddenly single after discovering her husband of fifteen years, a successful doctor (Martin Donovan), has… More Noted screenwriter Richard LaGravenese made his directorial debut with this dramatic comedy about two unlikely people who find each other while looking for love. Judith Nelson (Holly Hunter) is suddenly single after discovering her husband of fifteen years, a successful doctor (Martin Donovan), has been having an affair with a younger woman. Judith stews, plans, plots and fantasizes, but she can't decide what to do with her life until she goes out to a night club to see singer Liz Bailey (Queen Latifah), who is full of advice on life and love. While out on the town, Judith is suddenly kissed by a total stranger, which opens her eyes to new possibilities ... which is when she notices Pat (Danny De Vito), the elevator operator in her building. Pat's life is in even worse shape than Judith's; his wife has thrown him out for gambling, he's in debt to loan sharks, he's sleeping on the couch of his more successful brother, and his daughter is dying. At first Pat borrows money from Judith, but when the two start talking, they realize they have more in common than they imagined. LaGravenese based his screenplay on a pair of short stories by Anton Chekhov. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: Richard LaGravenese
Written By: Richard LaGravenese, Lynzee Klingman
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 30, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Nov 20, 2001
Studio: New Line Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Daniel M. Kimmel, Variety
This feminist comedy shot through with fantasies about the travails of newly single womanhood strikes some rich chords, but doesn't quite put together a complete tune.
Sean Axmaker, Seattle Weekly
... made up of magical moments of revelation that are the film's strength as well as its ultimate weakness.
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International
If you live in Manhattan, you know women like Judith (Holly Hunter), the 40-something, Upper East Side divorce who put her ex-husband through medical school.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
... there is always a market for these kid of sleek, superficial movies about the redemptive power of being true to your own nature

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Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

Great movie...
Lanning :

Mahalo, Joanna, this was a good one. Danny DeVito. Truly underrated. This is worth seeing just because of his performance. <p> For those flixster friends who have been following my evolving thinking on the term "bittersweet," this is another movie which captures… More
Mahalo, Joanna, this was a good one. Danny DeVito. Truly underrated. This is worth seeing just because of his performance. <p> For those flixster friends who have been following my evolving thinking on the term "bittersweet," this is another movie which captures that mood. Neither tragic nor comic, and certainly not classically tragi-comic, there is a wistfulness to this film whiich, for me, can only be called bittersweet. After the horrible life he has had, the most receint blow being the death of his daughter, DeVito is on an upward curve. You know that his life has turned around. <p> For Hunter, it is a different story. It is easy to believe that, as DeVito departs her life, she may have many more downward trending days ahead. It is sad, but it is so true in life. You make choces at moments that can lead you to the top, or send you rushing toward the abyss. <p> A beautifully quiet and thoughtful movie.