Dale Launer wrote and directed this early comedic showcase for Sandra Bullock, its title taken from the hit song of years past. Strained romantic fantasy has two science nerds made attractive and popular by a gypsy woman's love spell. Unknown at the time, Bullock asserts herself with aplomb despite supremely silly and threadbare surroundings. Picture begins well, mostly due to Sandra's dryly charming sass, but Tate Donovan emerges as little more than a moving hole in the screen and the film's second-half is all downhill. Barely released by Twentieth Century-Fox, who must have known this stiff was dead on arrival. * from ****
Love Potion No. 9
1992
Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance
Love Potion No. 9
1992
Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance
Keywords: magicnew lovewitchcraftaffection
Plot summary
Two scientists who are hopeless with the opposite sex experiment with a substance that makes them irresistible to anyone who hears them speak.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
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Bullock's innate grace and charm has to carry this a mighty long way...
Tell Your Troubles To The Gypsy
I suppose that any of us living in urban areas have many times wanted to visit one of those basement apartments inhabited by alleged gypsies who have all kinds of cures for whatever ails you. If it's an affair of the heart there are test model love potions running all the way from one to Love Potion No. 9.
Poor nerdy Tate Donovan can't seem to get a date nowhere, no how is persuaded by friends to visit one of those gypsies played with real bite by Anne Bancroft. She gives him Love Potion No. 8 and the stuff really does work. And Donovan being a biochemist actually figures out just how. In fact he and colleague Sandra Bullock try and boy do they like it and each other.
But they have to experiment and Bullock hits the jackpot with the Prince of Wales played by Dylan Baker over here on a goodwill visit across the pond. He gets within the prescribed distance of Bullock and she could be the next Queen of Great Britain. As for a girl that Donovan's been putting his normally clumsy moves on, Mary Mara, she winds up in the end with more boyfriends than she could possibly have time for.
It all comes to a head when a guy Bullock has been off and on seeing for years all of a sudden becomes madly infatuated with her again and they're about to be wed. Dale Midkiff of course has an agenda of his own and if Donovan's to stop him he'll need out of Anne Bancroft's medicine cabinet, the latest model, Love Potion No. 9.
Donovan and Bullock are amusing and the rest of the cast gives them good support. I think you'll get a laugh from the doings at 34th and Vine and a little bottle of Love Potion No. 9.
Good for what ails you.
Only one great scene but generally unfunny
Biochemist dork Paul Matthews (Tate Donovan) is horrible with women. He goes to a gypsy and is given love potion #8. He and fellow dorky lab rat Diane Farrow (Sandra Bullock) discover the potion works through their voice on the opposite sex for 4 hours. They try experimenting with the potion. It works better than expected. However the potion gets loose and the gypsy gives Paul love potion #9.
Both leads are a couple of believable dorks. Paul getting rejected at the bar is great. Bullock with bed hair looks way too hot to be dorky. Then the movie gets boring and unfunny. Quite frankly, Paul's return to the bar is not as compelling as it should be. I question if the writing from Dale Launer is actually funny. It's a disappointment since he had written some pretty funny movies. Although he's not a good director and maybe that's the problem here. Bullock is crazy adorable and Donovan is likable enough. However it doesn't have the heat or the comedy for a good rom-com.