SEA OF LOVE

I still find Sea of Love infinitely watchable and perennially steamy.

I first saw Sea of Love when I was fourteen, and it was my introduction to Al Pacino. I liked him immediately. Onscreen he was self-deprecating, vulnerable, and flawed, but he was a good guy, and one sexy lover. I was shocked to learn that there are people who fully expect him to be like Michael Corleone or Scarface in real life. If you've never seen the softer side of Al, this is an excellent place to start.

Frank Keller (Pacino) is a New York City police officer celebrating twenty years on the force. He's divorced (from Lorraine Bracco), and to make matters worse, she's now married to a man he must face every day at work. It seems like it's time to retire, but without the job what has he got going for him? No kids, no wife. Just lots of empty time, and only a bottle of booze to fill it with. Long story short, Frank is having a mid-life crisis when men start turning up dead in their beds with "Sea of Love" on the turntable.

At this point Frank partners with Detective Sherman (the always lovable, and surprisingly attractive John Goodman) to crack the case. They soon realize that all of the victims answered personal ads in the paper, so they place one of their own, and start dating undercover. They park themselves in a restaurant, and meet with a steady stream of women, studying them for clues, and carefully bagging their wine glasses for prints. It's all pretty tedious until the exceedingly foxy Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin) shows up. Though she tells Frank bluntly that there's no animal attraction between them, he's practically drooling down his shirt. When they run into each other again it's clear that sparks are flying. Frank overlooks the fact that she's still a suspect for a chance at love and companionship.

Here we really descend into the sea of love, with lots of memorably steamy encounters between Frank and Helen. There are a couple of sexy trysts at the grocery store, though the first one interrupts a scene where Frank is picking out peaches. I was profoundly disappointed by this development, because I love to watch actors do everyday things. I like to make sure they know how.

The most unforgettable scene occurs in Frank's apartment. Our lovebirds are hot and heavy from the moment they come in the door, but when Helen goes to the bathroom, Frank spots a gun in her purse. Lust turns to panic, and all of a sudden he's sure she's the killer. Their love scenes are a strangely sexy combination of frisking and foreplay. Is he patting her down or feeling her up? Throwing her against the wall in a fit of passion, or preparing to read her Miranda rights? He'd rather she didn't know, because he wants to trust her—he'd just prefer not to wake up dead.

As the movie progresses, the suspense builds, and I always seem to forget exactly how things shake down. The wondering is half the fun. Is she or isn't she the killer? Who could it be? Damn, who cares? This is hot!

In addition to the four alarm hotness, this stumping whodunit is full of fun celebrity sightings. Keep your eyes peeled for Christine Estabrook (Mrs. Huber from Desperate Housewives), William Hickey, Michael Rooker, and Samuel L. Jackson in a blink-and-you'll-miss-him performance.

My new favorite scene comes at the end of the movie, just before the credits roll. Frank and Helen are walking down a busy street, and he's trying desperately to get her to listen to him. She's walking fast and trying to ignore him. Frank's doing his best to keep up when a random guy slams into him and knocks him back about five paces. Barely cracking a smile, and without breaking character, Pacino bounces back as though nothing has happened. I'm betting this wasn't in the script, but it's such a cool quirk, it should have been. All these years after my first viewing, I still find Sea of Love infinitely watchable and perennially steamy.