When Will I Be Loved?

Since his debut ‘Fingers’, James Toback has frequently courted controversy with his forthright explorations of sex, race, power and philosophy(!). This begins by cutting between Vera (Neve Campbell) masturbating in the shower of her NYC loft and hustler Ford (Fred Weller) talking up a Damon Dash partnership on his mobile, and proceeds, via shots of group sex in Central Park and a lesbian tryst, to an act of literally shameless prostitution; in fact, it’s a rather chaste celebration of a smart, self-confident young woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. (The title is more applicable to the men here – and not just the doting old tycoon Count whom Ford exploits.) Yes, it can get implausible or kitschy (enough with the Brahms, Bach and Beethoven!) but, taken as a mix of modern fairytale and sly comedy of meretricious manners (note Toback’s own turn as ultra-hip professor Hassan Al-Ibrahim Ben Rabinowitz), it has its share of enjoyable, even insightful moments. At least it’s different and far from dumb.