Review of The Thing Called Love

I've enjoyed watching this movie ever since I discovered it in about 2007, years later than its release. The actors and music have much charm, and somehow it works despite a confusion as to whose story is being told. For a long time now, I've wanted to re-write the ending, to make it more consistent with the characters as they are presented... More recently, I realized I'd like to go back to the drawing board and write it as it should have been written, given the star billing of River Phoenix, his charisma and the power of his music. It ought to be his story from start to finish, the boy who listened to cheating songs in his father's truck... It can't be re-made with those actors, and it remains a poignant record of what River Phoenix could do, and what he might have done. The other main actors, Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney, and Sandra Bullock are always interesting to watch, as are all the supporting cast, and in particular, K.T. Oslin as Lucy. I recommend this movie as a wonderful trip down memory lane and a tug-at-the-heart glimpse of the most promising young talent.