SummarySteve Coogan and director Michael Winterbottom continue their fruitful partnership with this epic portrait of the rise and fall of British nudie theater impresario Paul Raymond. The symbol of Soho, sex and sophistication from the swinging 60s to the 80s, Raymond almost single-handedly rewrote the cultural history of the UK with an empire of tople... Read More
Directed By:Michael Winterbottom
Written By:Matt Greenhalgh, Paul Willetts, Jean de Letraz, Simone Peigniet, Tom Eyen
The Look of Love
Metascore
Mixed or Average
57
User score
Mixed or Average
5.1
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
57
30% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
65% Mixed
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Aug 3, 2013
63
Although Raymond’s career extended over five decades of London sleaze, decadence, and celebrity, neither director nor actor provide much insight into the man or his times, not to mention the significance of Raymond’s prime product.
Jul 4, 2013
60
Had The Look of Love focused more acutely on the father-daughter relationship or explored Mr. Raymond’s relationships with his two sons, only one of whom appears briefly, it might have amounted to something more substantial than a keenly observed period piece that keeps a celebrity journalist’s distance from its subject.
Jul 2, 2013
60
Zippy and saturated with soft-core nudity, The Look of Love isn’t hard to watch, especially when statuesque Tamsin Egerton enters the picture as a redheaded dancer who captures Raymond’s heart.
Jun 18, 2013
60
A solid, straightforward biopic about a fascinating individual and his destructive relationships, with strong performances and a healthy sense of naffness.
Jul 3, 2013
50
With its softened edges, bland aftertaste, and watered-down distillation of Raymond's life and career, Michael Winterbottom's film represents the house champagne of biographical cinema.
Jun 18, 2013
33
While stylishly capturing the verve, exotica, and free-spirited mojo of swinging '60s London, uber-prolific English director Michael Winterbottom's portrait of legendary U.K. smut impresario Paul Raymond is otherwise a shallow misfire.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.1
13% Positive
1 Rating
1 Rating
63% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
25% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Jul 5, 2013
3
Given its subject this is a curiously flat bio-pic of porn king Paul Raymond which benefits from some strong performances but is encumbered by a screenplay that is far too sketchy. Steve Coogan creates a credible character in the lead and demonstrates some great impersonations of Sean Connery and Marlon Brando. Tamsin Egerton as Fiona Richmond, Anna Friel as his first wife Jean and Imogen Poots as his daughter Debbie are also all very good. That their performances survive this unremarkable material is to their credit. The film doesn't seem to be able to decide if it's playing the whole thing for comedy or not, despite its tragic conclusion. It ends up being a tedious mess which never satisfactorily brings together the sum of its parts. One learns more about these characters at the end titles than is ever communicated through the preceding 100 minutes. A definite plus is the use of popular 60's and 70's hits on the soundtrack. A definite minus is David Wailliams' out of key supporting turn which would be more at home in one of his tv sitcoms.
Production Company:
- Revolution Films
- Baby Cow Productions
- Film4
- Lipsync Productions
Release Date:Jul 5, 2013
Duration:1 h 41 m
Tagline:Lead us into temptation.
Awards
British Independent Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
London Critics Circle Film Awards
• 1 Nomination
