I watched this film after first watching "The Outsider" (2005) which is a documentary that follows the director, James Toback, during the shooting of this film. This movie is an interesting and artfully done study of sexual explorations by several interrelated characters. It does not follow the traditional formula of mainstream movies, which is one of the reasons I liked it. It was especially fulfilling to watch this film having just viewed the documentary that delved into the objectives of the director in making this movie, the feelings of the cast before and during filming, commentaries on Toback's style and techniques from other directors and actors with whom Toback has worked, and the challenges associated with shooting the entire film in 12 days.

Watching wily old writer/director James Toback chatting up dewy-eyed Neve Campbell in WHEN WILL I BE LOVED is to witness a veteran Hollywood player at the top of his game. Casting himself in a small role as a university professor, Toback is pictured talking to a sophisticated young deb named Vera (Neve Campbell) about a job as a research assistant although he seems to be suggesting there are other positions she could fill as well. Since the dialogue is largely improvised it is not unreasonable to assume Toback is fluent in this kind of doublespeak in real life. In the film-maker's 1987 opus The Pick-Up Artist Robert Downey Jr. plays a smooth-talking womanizer rumored to be based on Toback's own experiences. It is possible to see why Toback succeeded where other directors have failed in getting the comely Ms. Campbell to take it all off for her art (which she does in this film.) Toback was nominated for a screen writing Oscar for 1991's Bugsy but it is small personal films like 1978's Fingers and 1997's Two Girls and a Guy that have earned him hipster cred among Hollywood's cool young elite. The filmmaker encourages his actors to become involved in the creative process. In Campbell's case, "I came to her with 35 pages of script and we ended up talking for 12 hours and throwing ideas around and becoming very inspired by each other," he tells us on the DVD commentary track. (We also learn on the DVD that the film was shot in 12 days followed by 8 months of editing. Toback's tips on how to shoot fast and cheap are essential viewing for any young filmmaker with big themes and a miniscule budget.) Campbell won the best reviews of her career for her performance but the entire cast sink their teeth into the meaty provocative dialogue with relish. The script has Vera, described by Campbell on the DVD as "empowered, somewhat manipulative but strong ", exacting an unexpected revenge on her fast-talking hustler boyfriend (Frederick Weller) after he attempts to negotiate a tryst with an elderly billionaire (Dominic Chianese of Sopranos fame ) who has become fixated on her and willing to pay any price to indulge his obsession.The improbable plot line serves as a vehicle for Toback to explore his "curiosity about sexuality and physicality but also human nature and what drives people to do the things they do." (Toback leaves it to his cast to improvise their own sex scenes - like a lesbian encounter between Campbell and Ashley Shelton.) The prickly auteur has a cheerful disregard for conventional rules of film-making and it shows. The conversation between the professor and Vera probably goes on too long and there is a bizarre scene with boxer Mike Tyson that defies description. Yet Toback makes no apologies. "With this film there is no right or wrong answer. The way that people respond or decide who Vera is has a lot to do with who they are, which I find interesting."

How could Ebert have liked this film? He tricked me into watching it. Shame on your bad joke, Ebert! This one isn't even episodic -- in that episodes have some meaning, even if they are unconnected to a coherent narrative. Instead, we get random scenes that do not in any way anticipate the ending. In one scene, an unidentified young man is given a large yacht -- why? The ending itself, which I won't reveal, seems to be motivated by the young woman, but since it is an accident, even that won't work. And her diabolical plan just as well could have backfired. Compare the play and counter-play of "Sleuth". That a wealthy Italian count could somehow have developed a passion for this plain and badly dressed young woman -- and even compare it to Dante's glimpse of Beatrice -- is incomprehensible. This is not even a valid study of a psychopathic personality. And the one love scene between the girl and her boy friend is -- literally -- impossible. The director does not seem to realize that certain basic adjustments must be made prior to starting. Awful. To give it a number at all is to insult the numerical system.

The name of Neve Campbell made me buy this DVD without any further reference, because I try to see her movies since "Scream". Unfortunately, "When Will I Be Loved" is awful, one of the worse (or maybe the worst) movies of 2004. The story has no development of the characters, taking time to the viewer understand their motives. Mike Tyson, Lori Singer, Professor Hassan Al-Ibrahim Ben Rabinowitz, what are these people doing in the plot? I have not understood the erratic behavior of the amoral lead bisexual character of Vera Barrie in the middle of such mess: she is ambitious, but has a loser as boy-friend; she has a wealthy family that supplies her inclusive with an expensive loft, but prostitutes herself for money. Most of the scenes are too long or even unnecessary. The screenplay seems to be written by a moron or a stupid teenager so imbecile the dialogs and situations are. I love classic music, but the music score is really annoying. How can a producer put money in this crap? Is Neve Campbell losing money in casino or gambling to accept participating and exposing herself in such garbage? My vote is two.Title (Brazil): Fortunately this movie has not been released in Brazil. I saw an American DVD.