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Untamed Heart Reviews

UNTAMED HEART attempts to bring a magical, fairy-tale dimension to an otherwise realistic slice of Midwestern life, but the results are more implausible than charming. Caroline (Marisa Tomei) is a bored but ambitious waitress at Jim's Diner in downtown Minneapolis, where she spends most of her time swapping gossip with another waitress, Cindy (Rosie Perez). Also working at the diner is Adam (Christian Slater), an extremely quiet young man who many assume is mute. Adam is, in fact, simply very shy--an orphan, he also suffered from a heart disease that made it dangerous for him to mix with other children, and has grown up an almost non-social being. After Adam foils an attempted rape of Caroline, the two become involved in a Hollywood-style charmed mismatch. UNTAMED HEART is a curious, not entirely unpleasant, blend of extravagant sentimentality and down-to-earth comedy--a film in which Adam can earnestly claim that his heart physically hurts when he's away from Caroline, while Cindy can accuse her boss of being as annoying as "wet sand in my underwear." The film benefits from an appealing cast, though neither Slater, Tomei, nor Perez is called on to stretch very far. Though actor-turned-director Tony Bill has proved himself adept at character-driven dramas like MY BODYGUARD, the material he's working with here is simply not up to scratch.