As film expert Robert McKee tells first time writer/director Myles Berkowitz in his pseudo-documentary exploration of love and the single guy in Los Angeles, most romantic films are not about being in love, but about a longing for love. In 20 Dates, Berkowitz ironically contrasts Hollywood notions of romance with the pedestrian reality around him, showing us how movies mould our romantic expectations. Men follow their eyes in search of beautiful eye candy, while women follow their hearts in search of Tom Hanks-like emotional dependability. Is it possible, wonder McKee and Berkowitz, for men and women to find the path to real love when they are following different road maps?
Myles is sent to a shadowy mafia-don-like moneyman named Elie to front the $60,000 needed to finance the 20 dates he will go on (and film) in his search of love. The unseen Elie is a delightfully vulgar parody of a Hollywood executive. He is tape-recorded spewing vicious epithets while threatening Myles that if he doesn't include some tits, ass and sex (as well as Tia Carrere), and if the film doesn't return 500 per cent on his investment, he will break Myles' legs.
As one might imagine, the course of true love does not go smoothly; Myle's dates often end in various forms of disaster. Even the dates that appear to be working out are submarined, either by Myle's prejudices (one date is French. He challenges her on her country's NATO policies) or his admission that the date has been recorded by a hidden camera (which results in two lawsuits and a nasty 20-stitch forking incident).
Berkowitz' style combines the self-loathing of Woody Allen, the bitterness of Albert Brooks, and questing narrative of Michael Moore. He's certainly narcissistic, but Berkowitz's self-referential material is consistently deflated by his overwhelming self-deference: a series of sound bites from friends, both male and female, which develop into a litany of his shortcomings. This sort of disarming honesty helps to overcome his rather strident and grating narrative style, desperately in need of more skilful intonation. Also, just as the film should be taking off, when he finds his true love Elisabeth, it loses steam. He loves her, but must (for the sake of the picture) continue dating others. This situation has great dramatic and comic potential, but is seriously underdeveloped.
Despite these flaws, 20 Dates is a promising directorial debut by Myles Berkowitz.
