Wilson Joel (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is quietly suffering after his wife Liza's unexplained suicide. He finds a note from her but can't bring himself to read it. Her mother Mary Ann Bankhead (Kathy Bates) tries to help. After a breakdown at work, he's asked to take time off. He starts to develop an unhealthy addiction to gasoline and joins the world of model plane enthusiasts.Philip Seymour Hoffman does a brilliant job sucking the life out of his character. He is one of the best actors of his times. However the movie is lifeless. It's 90 minutes of waiting for Wilson to open a letter. The movie has no drama and no tension. It's not much of anything other than PSH.

Fantastic. I saw this film at Sundance a long time ago and recently rented it. I forgot just how much I enjoyed this film. I like the way the film moves through time and space without any over-arching plot contrivance. It is simple and sad and fantastically written and acted.PSH is a great actor and I have yet to see him in a film that is bad. I just rented Boogie Nights again and he was unbelievable in it. He is truly one of my favorite actors.This film goes down on my all time favorite list alongside films like Downhill Racer, The Taste of Cherry, The Brown Bunny and the Parallax View.

I think PSH is wonderful in this movie and it really shows his incredible acting abilities in a very raw way.This is a tragic, tragic film that demonstrates the waves of destruction that emanate from suicide. It shows the decline of a ordinary man doing well to a self destructive huffing addict. You could watch this with your wife, if she can stay awake, and then you'll find yourselves discussing it for weeks.Don't expect to discover the moral, learn lessons or take away answers from this movie. The beauty of this movie is that it leaves more questions than answers. Its a movie that inspires thinking and a barrage of unanswered questions left in your head. Any movie that inspires so much thought after it is over is a real winner to me.

"Love Liza" is an involving human drama about inescapable grief and guilt. It's also about radio controlled airplanes and the people that love them. That wacky combination alone makes it worth seeing, doesn't it? If you agree, you are like me and are looking for something different. (If not, then go rent some garbage like "Mr. and Mrs Smith.") The first time I watched this film, I was clueless as to which direction it was heading. Would it be a story of redemption? Or would the outcome be bleak?"Love Liza" pulled me into its goofy yet emotionally devastating story of despair through the end. By then, I was hanging on every word. The songs by Jim O'Rourke compliment the film's emotions nicely.I was annoyed that the packaging and promotions for the film suggest that it's comedy of some kind. It's almost sick to call this a comedy! The commentary of the writer and director also surprised me. Apparently, they think the film is a comedy too. Maybe I should listen to Spielberg's commentary on the "Schindler's List" DVD. Perhaps I'll be informed that it was made with laughter as its goal. In any case, Love Liza" is a must-experience film.