Looking for an Echo
Co-writer director Martin Davidson, who previously made a name for himself in rock-fuelled features such as The Lords of Flatbush (1974) and Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), creates this wistful melodrama about a middle-aged widower looking back with tinges of regret at his abandoned musical career. Armand Assante stars as Vince, a former neighborhood idol and lead singer in his moderately successful doo-wop band. But instead of pursuing stardom, he married and got a job as a bartender in order to support his three kids; his eldest son is a cop with a family of his own, his middle child is a 20-something trying to start out with his band, and his youngest, Tina, spends her days in and out of hospitals suffering from leukemia. Though Vince has not dated since his wife died of cancer, he finds himself attracted to motor mouth nurse Joanne (Diane Venora). Later, Vince and his old friends from his defunct group visit the glitz and glamour of Atlantic City and reminisce about old times. Looking for an Echo was screened at the 1999 Mill Valley Film Festival. more..
Director: Martin Davidson
Starring: Armand Assante, Diane Venora, Joe Grifasi, Tom Mason, Anthony John Dennison
The film's locales have an appealing authentic feel to them, and everything from decor to music contributes to making Looking for an Echo an appealing heart-tugger.
Well-meant but rambling little indie melodrama.
A slow-moving, dramatically slack film.
The stream of sentimentality is endless and often sickly, and the warm afterglow is decidedly manufactured.
Corny, suds-drenched movie. The kindest way of looking at this roughly patched-together story is as the cinematic equivalent of the music it memorializes.
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