Still Breathing (film)

Still Breathing received generally favorable reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 62% of 13 critics' reviews are positive.^[5] In 1997, Joe Leydon of Variety praised Brendan Fraser's performance, writing that "Fraser is winning in a tricky role that calls for him to be at once engagingly innocent and nobody’s fool." Leydon went on to write that "Going, too, has to strike a challenging balance in her performance, and she is every bit as successful. Early on, it’s revealed that the seemingly hard-bitten Rosalyn has been distracted by her own golden-lit dreams. Going is extremely deft at revealing flashes of romantic yearning beneath her character’s tough facade."^[1] TV Guide labelled it a "fun offbeat romantic comedy", adding that it boasts "a winning cast and an imaginative premise."^[6] Hollis Chacona of The Austin Chronicle gave it three out of five stars, writing "the notion of Still Breathing is sweet and lovely, and possesses moments of breathtaking beauty — Fletcher turning a projector on Roz, using her skin as a sensuous, reflective screen; a miniature cairn constructed in the palm of a hand; Ida playing an easy, affectionate Chopin on her tuba. Adding to the charm is a marvelous and evocative soundtrack that completes rather than overwhelms the images. The picture has the power to enchant, it just can't sustain the spell."^[7]

A mixed review came from Stephen Holden of The New York Times in 1998. He compared Still Breathing to the Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan film City of Angels and criticized Joanna Going's character, writing "the movie's biggest problem is Roz, an intransigent sourpuss for no discernible reason. Good-looking and successful with a bevy of eligible men at her beck and call, Roz mopes around Los Angeles in an inexplicable funk. Aside from her obvious beauty and intelligence, the movie never shows us what Fletcher finally sees in her."^[8] Holden had a more positive view of Brendan Fraser, writing, "if Fraser continues to take such roles, he could become the '90s answer to the Patrick Swayze of Dirty Dancing. Hollywood could do with a few more a warm-blooded Romeos like Fletcher. Unfortunately their melting looks won't amount to much if the Juliets they thaw never warm up."^[8] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "although a handsome, well-burnished production, Still Breathing is not without first-film problems." He also said, "Fraser looks to be a big star about to happen. [He] has that knack of seeming to inhabit his characters totally and he has a sense of humor, a crucial ingredient for a good-looking star."^[9]

In 2010, Mark Jones of the San Antonio Current included Still Breathing in a retrospective series of articles on films shot in San Antonio. Jones states, "consider that when Still Breathing came out in 1997 the independent film scene hadn’t completely stagnated and been taken over by studio-manchild rom-coms. Being ironic, hip, or even slapstick was probably the last agenda bullet for Still Breathing. Director James Robinson was trying to make a sincere film about true love and the simplicity of San Antonio life while taking an elegant piss on the city of Los Angeles. Working in the acidic Hollywood environment must have made Robinson appreciate San Antonio even more."^[10]

• Official Website
• Still Breathing at IMDb
• Amazon.com listing
• Still Breathing at Rotten Tomatoes
• Still Breathing at Box Office Mojo