"Lonely Hearts" a One Snooze and a Light Doze.

I tried to like this movie. It had all the potential that I wanted in a movie. John Travolta was the first element. I still laugh when I think back at the scenes from "Wild Hogs". That movie was so good that I put it in my classics. It was two coffees and a can of Red Bull Movie. Everyone stayed awake and it left you with energy. "Lonely Hearts", a film depiction of a true story, does not leave you awake and wanting more. Instead, it should be watched with plenty of sleep and caffeine tablets.

I have loved true police stories since I was young. My father, once a policeman, would tell us the cases he worked on as we sat around the supper table and I would listen to these as though they were delectable morsels of ambrosia served up to me on a golden platter. This story was lacking by comparison. It focused heavily on the police detective and his struggle with the suicide of his wife. The director, the grandson of the real detective, probably thought that this would answer the question of the detective's obsession to prove that a suicide of another young lady was indeed a murder. It really needed more about the Bunco artists turned serial killers to be satisfying.

The movie wasn't a total waste. Salma Hayak was brilliant as the female half of the psychotic pair. She played the part of a woman that had buried emotions so deeply that the only ones that made it through to the surface were those of her own survival and pleasure. She had numbed to all others. The moments that this "almost normal appearing" woman showed her madness, were worth the wait. Her cool exterior while committing murder was definitely realistic.

I did like the fact that Jared Leto was portrayed as a balding man wearing a toupee. It created a little more realism. His portrayal was that of a man that got caught into his own web of lies but was not really a killer. He created the character to be realistic enough that we both despised him and felt sorry for him.

John Travolta's portrayal of the depressed detective was not that appealing. You watched him but you didn't feel his pain or walk in his footsteps. I like to think that this may have had a lot to do with the way the story was written, because Travolta's normal performance is usually miles above this one.

James Gandolfini played the typical sidekick. His portrayal of the character was good but again the script didn't seem to allow a deep development of his personality.

Rent it if you choose, but make certain that you get it at a one day for 99 cent rental and have at least 10 friends over so the cost is only a dime per person watching. It drags quite a bit, but it was not bad enough to go back to Blockbuster and demand my money back because it was impersonating a movie. It was watchable. I only dozed off a bit through it. Had it had any subtitles like "The Kingdom" I would not have been able to make it through. I give it a one snooze and a light doze.