Caroline ( Marisa Tomei) is always getting her heart broken, while Adam ( Christian Slater) has the closest thing to a literally broken heart. The result is a match made in tearjerker heaven in Untamed Heart, an entertaining romance that already seemed dated less than a decade after its release.
Caroline and Adam work together at an all-night diner where the coffee seems to flow endlessly and the clientele is predominantly burly men in red plaid vests. Caroline’s an outgoing and friendly waitress, while Adam’s a mysterious and shy dishwasher who nobody seems to ever hear talk.
As it turns out, Adam was born with a bad heart. Raised by nuns who told him that it if he got a transplant, he would become an ape, Adam simply decided to live with the heart he was given. Eventually it is going to give out, but in the meantime, he’s determined to get on with his life, even if it means mopping kitchen floors and scrubbing pots and pans.
Caroline has troubles of her own with her heart, except her scars are emotional rather than physical. Quite simply, she can’t seem to keep a boyfriend. There’s no real reason why; things just don’t work out.
One night, after Adam saves Caroline from being raped on her walk home from work, things between the two change. Caroline shows an interest in him and Adam responds by opening up. Friendship leads to unconditional love, which makes up the bulk of the film.
Untamed Heart is good for what it is – a simple love story with two cute stars in the lead roles. It is simple entertainment, not groundbreaking cinematic fare. Years after its release, this movie continues to live on through television.
Although Tomei and Slater are aptly cast, the script would have fared better had it been made five years earlier with the likes of Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy as the stars. Caroline and Adam seem too immature in their actions for the era in which it was made, and appear to have been a perfect fit for something made by John Hughes in the late 1980s.
As in many of her other films, Rosie Perez (White Men Can’t Jump, Do the Right Thing) once again is wonderful in a supporting role. It’s a shame we don’t see her in more films, because she is funny even though she rarely appears to be trying. Here she stars as the gossipy constant-coffee breaker, Cindy.
Untamed Heart is simply entertaining. It’s one of those good-but-not-great love stories that are easy to watch if you’re curled up with the one you love.
