By Tonisha Johnson

I love your work is a dark, winding path through the troubled mind of movie star Gray Evans, played by Giovanni Ribisi. His sudden celebrity status, along with his unhappy Hollywood marriage with actress Mia Lang (Franka Potente), pick away at his sanity as he tries to promote a perfect image of his successful career and wonderful relationship. Fond memories of his ex-girlfriend Shana (Christina Ricci) haunt him, “graying” the line between fantasy and reality. Gray becomes unable to make that distinction, which leads to an obsession with what he sees as an “ideal” couple. 



Director and co-writer Adam Goldberg does an excellent job of illustrating Gray’s fall from grace. It’s easy to see how Gray’s failure to cope with celebrity life takes such a dramatic turn, without being corny or cliché. This film uses a lot creative and highly stylized methods to show the myriad emotions that the characters go through. Goldberg plays with color, or lack thereof, to play up Gray’s depression and obsession. Particularly convincing are the crowded scenes in which Gray seems to be alone as the background noise is hushed, allowing the viewer to be sympathetic to his frustration. There are also several movie references thrown in for those who pay attention to detail. 



Giovanni Ribisi plays both sides of Gray so well that you have to wonder if he hasn’t lived through something similar. The whole cast does a good job of making the characters come to life in a way that is subtle and believable. 



The real, yet surreal ending seemed like somewhat of a cop-out at first, however it does make sense within the context in the film, and definitely brings home the main themes. A clear climax followed by a confusing last scene leaves the viewer questioning whether or not what they’ve just seen was real or fantasy, but sometimes confusion is good. In this case, it serves to further drive home the theme of that “gray” space between fantasy and reality, madness and sanity. 



One may be tempted to assign a “Hollywood bashing” label to “I Love Your Work”, however after seeing it, it leaves you with a simpler, yet more profound meaning. Why can’t we be happy with what we have? We covet what we see around us, and miss what we had when we get it. This film is worth seeing. A movie about movie stars that doesn’t leave you bored or depressed about your own simple and un-fabulous life.