Addicted to Love

Directed by Griffin Dunne, Addicted to Love follows Matthew Broderick’s Sam as he pursues his ex-girlfriend (Kelly Preston’s Linda) to New York City and starts spying on her exploits with new love Anton (Tcheky Karyo) – with complications ensuing after Anton’s ex (Meg Ryan’s Maggie) decides to join Sam and even begins sabotaging Linda and Anton’s relationship. It’s certainly an oddball premise that’s employed to mostly underwhelming effect by Dunne, as the filmmaker, working from Robert Gordon’s screenplay, delivers a sluggish romcom that’s almost entirely lacking in overtly compelling by attributes – with the palpable lack of chemistry between Broderick and Ryan’s respective characters the tip of the iceberg in terms of Addicted to Love‘s issues. The uninvolving atmosphere certainly isn’t helped by a premise that grows more and more ludicrous by the minute, and it’s worth noting, too, that the frustratingly uneventful midsection only compounds the picture’s less-than-engrossing vibe. It’s a ultimately testament to the charisma of the various stars that Addicted to Love never quite becomes the intolerable experience one might’ve anticipated, although the inherently unappealing premise would leave even the most talented of performers left floundering. By the time the predictably underwhelming finale rolls around, Addicted to Love has cemented its place as a fairly pronounced failure that nevertheless could’ve been much, much worse.

** out of ****