Sometimes I feel I'm the only straight guy who liked this movie. I liked it a lot. I loved the writing, the acting, the music. And Holly Hunter's dance, under ecstasy, at the lesbian club is one of those film moments I took with me and stayed with me and if I play the soundtrack in my car - I relive the moment totally. Richard Le Gravenais the writer, director of this movie was the writer of "The Ref" and other movies I always keep kind of handy. I've played "Living Out Loud" after dinner for friends who had never seen it. I've done it three times and, each time, it was a hit with the gals and gay guys the others made fun of the movie and were subsequently thrown out of the room. Interesting, at least for me, to think that this movie has made me question myself. I wish it happened more often at the movies.

This film was a hard one to market--it's about a woman's journey of self-discovery after divorcing her husband. It came out in 1998 with a confused ad campaign and disappeared very quickly. It's a real shame because it was one of the best films on 1998. All the acting is excellent, there are some great songs mostly sung by Queen Latifah and there's a very exciting sequence between Hunter and a masseur (played by a very handsome, muscular actor named Eddie Cibrian). There's no real strong storyline--it's basically about how Hunter tries various ways to get on with her life after her divorce. The film jumps from fantasy to reality seamlessly, has sharp dialogue and realistic situations. It's never dull--there are countless great moments (the sequence with Cibrian; her encounter behind a door in a club; the dancing sequence at a lesbian bar; all of Queen Latifah's singing) and has an uplifting, unexpected ending. A great movie all the way around. If you haven't seen it, do so. You won't be disappointed.

Writer turned writer-director Richard LaGravenese made 1998's "Living Out Loud", which follows the intersection of the lives of two people emotionally lost in the big city. Holly Hunter plays Judith, a feisty and freshly divorced woman in her early forties with an overactive imagination. Danny DeVito plays Pat, a depressed and proud elevator attendant with emotional baggage all his own. After they share words a friendship gingerly begins to form. The creative casting of the fabulous Holly Hunter and the frequently under-appreciated dramatic talents of Danny DeVito is only the beginning of the special qualities of "Living Out Loud". This is a mature study of adult relationships, especially of those that have tried, failed, and are left emotionally crippled. It's an intimate, quiet film about regular people made with so many genuine moments and with such winning results that one can only be reminded how infrequently a film like this comes along. It might not be that clever comedy the DVD suggests, but in a way the false advertising makes it that much more of a find.