Mad Love

Plot synopsis:
Tordesillas, 1554. Seventy four years old, Queen Joanna of Castile, called Juana La Loca (Joanna the Madwoman), is still mourning the loss of her husband who died a half century before. Joanna remembers with emotion the man she loved passionately, but who brought her ruin. She does not fear death, she says, because death would allow her to be reunited with her husband. Their story goes back almost 60 years.
In 1496, Joanna, the third child of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, is leaving Spain through the port of Laredo. She is headed to Flanders to marry the Archduke of Austria, Philip, nicknamed the Handsome, a man she has never laid eyes on. The marriage has been arranged for political purposes. Joanna's siblings and her mother, Queen Isabella, bid her farewell.
Once in Flanders, Joanna, young and inexperienced, is immediately smitten by her handsome fiancé. He is equally pleased with his beautiful bride and orders the marriage to take place at that very moment so they can consummate their marriage without any delay. Their union is initially a great success. The political alliance between their two countries has been consolidated and Joanna and Philip are very attracted to each other. With his good looks and bed manners, Philip completely captivates his wife. Their passionate love making soon produces results. Joanna has a daughter, followed shortly after by a son. She gives birth to her son in an emergency bathroom delivery without any assistance, cutting the umbilical cord afterwards with her teeth.
A combination of love, lust and emotional dependency make the passionate Joanna deeply attached to her husband. Her love becomes consuming, but the intensity of her passion turns Philip away. He is a restless man who finds entertainment in going hunting and in the arms of other women. The deaths of Joanna's brother, the stillbirth of her brother's daughter, her older sister's death and her sister's son's death unexpectedly make her heir of the Castilian and Aragones crowns. However, she is not interested in government. Obsessed with her husband, Joanna surprises him in bed with a lover, who Joanna later successfully identifies as Ines de Brabante, one of the court ladies. In a fit of jealousy, Joanna cuts the long red hair of her rival. While Joanna despairs at her husband’s unfaithfulness, she receives further bad news. Her mother has died. Joanna thus becomes Queen of Castile and has to return to her kingdom. Her tantrums over her husband’s infidelities have made her start to become known as Joanna the Mad.
At the Castilian court in Burgos, the Queen is happily greeted by her subjects, but her marital life is still in turmoil. Philip is soon bewitched by the charms and spells of Aixa, a Moorish prostitute who uses her sexual attraction and black magic to secure Philip's favor. With this new lover, the King becomes noticeably indifferent toward his wife, which adds to her increasingly insane jealousy.
Against the background of this troubled marriage, there are two opposed political parties at court, one Flemish, the other Castilian. The conspiring Flemish usurpers are headed by Señor de Veyre, Philip's right-hand man. Their objective is to have Joanna declared insane and for Philip to take power away from her. Joanna has her own set of supporters, the loyal Castilian royalists, headed by the Admiral of Castile. The Admiral and the Queen's friend and confidant, Elvira, try unsuccessfully to rescue Juana from her marital obsessions.
However, it is not the government that is on the Queen's mind; she is fixated on retaining her husband’s love. To avoid any temptations at court, she hires only ugly-looking maids of honor to serve her, but in fact Aixa has been brought to court by Philip, passing as one of the court ladies under the name of Beatriz de Bobadilla. Unaware of this, the Queen relies on Beatriz to find a spell to help her retain her husband's love. Joanna is equally misguided in her attempt to regain Philip's attention by simulating a love affair with Captain Álvaro de Estúñiga, a close friend from her childhood. The Queen’s lack of control permits the manipulation of her enemies to have her declared incompetent to rule. The King, encouraged by Señor de Veyre, resolves to take the rule of the kingdom for himself and shove Joanna out of the way. He finds an unlikely ally in Joanna's own father, king Fernando, who has remarried and has no further interest in either the fate of his daughter or in the kingdom of Castile.
While her fate is decided at a court assembly, Joanna is able to successfully make her case, counting on the unquestionable support of her subjects. However, her powerful speech coincides with Philip falling gravely ill. Although she devotedly takes care of her husband, the doctors are unable to do anything for him. On his death bed, Philip apologizes to his wife for his past excesses. After the death of her husband Joanna, heavily pregnant, takes on a long journey to the south of the country to bury her husband. She does not go far. Forced to stop to give birth to a daughter, Joanna never reaches her destination. Although she retains her title as queen, at the age of 28 she is locked as a madwoman in the castle of Tordesillas for the rest of her long life.
Philip's body was laid to rest in a nearby monastery, which Joanna was allowed to visit from time to time.

Tags: insanity, romantic

Review:
Not to minimize the life-changing effects of clinical or chemical depression, because I'm not.) Drew generates a stellar performance here, and fully sells the range of emotions her character experiences.
The only solid thing here are the performances by Drew and Chris, and the profound sadness and sense of loss experienced by its viewers via the execution of the story line.I actually enjoyed this, though the ending IS unsettling and fails to satisfy.It rates an 8.4/10 from...the Fiend :..
The high-school student Matt Leland (Chris O'Donnell) lives with his twin brother and sister and his father in a house by the lake.
When the teenager Casey Roberts (Drew Barrymore) moves to the house on the other side of the lake, Matt snoops into her room with his telescope.
"Mad Love" is a road movie with a tale of madness and sort of teen version of "The Girl from Trieste".
Matt Leland is a good student and son that changes his behavior when he falls in love with the maniac depressive Casey that has arrived from Chicago.
"So it's about a coupla teenagers, let's say they're 'in love', and one of them has mental problems, let's call her crazy..." The film itself though, I think, resists cliches, especially the fact that the four letter word (love) was avoided, which has a tendency to suck dry any useful plot content that might be found in a movie, opting for some different ways of illustrating their relationship.
I think Barrymore and O'Donnell hold together something that may not have great elements like soundtrack, plot originality etc, because despite the fact that Drew's eyebrows really annoyed me, they both did a good job..
Chris O'Donnell heats up the screen and Drew Barrymore is at her sensual best in this motion picture about two teens who take an adventure together against parental wishes.
When I watched it a second time, however, I payed a lot more attention to the movie itself and saw that it did have delight, great acting talent and other positive notes.
As well as this, the directing was fine and there were some really good shots through the characters' road trip in the movie.
I love that this film showed that those of us with mental illness are people too.
Like many other reviewers, I feel this is a poor movie (screenplay), but Drew really captures the feeling of mental illness.
I've known some people who are manic depressive (and a few schizophrenics) and I have to say that Drew must have some personal knowledge of severe depression to be able to pull off a performance like this.
She really elevates the movie from a 2-bit teen romance and makes it worth watching.
"Mad Love" isn't one of the all time great films, however it is my favorite bad movie.
I think that Drew Barrymore is charming and this movie allows her to be a little crazy and very beautiful.
In "Mad Love", Chris is a good boy who goes on the lam with Drew.
Chris O'Donnell's performance was pretty bland, but Drew spiced it up a bit.
It started to get better towards the end when we finally got to see the extent of Drew's depression, but the first 3/4 of the movie was such a paint by numbers approach to a romance that I'm not sure that it was worth the wait.
Bad girl, Casey (Drew Barrymore) good guy (Chris ODonnell) fall MADLY in love with one another.
All is going well & good until Casey completely loses it.....But the END of the movie is what satisfies.
Although this might not be everyone's favorite Chris O' Donnell movie, I believe that this is one of his bests.
It is a story when a High School Senior, (Chris O' Donnell) falls in love with another Senior, (Drew Barrymore) who is a little crazy.
This is a movie you should see if you are a Chris O' Donnell fan..
This quirky, reckless romantic movie starring Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell is one giant teen-fest.
Parents are strict and don't understand anyone else's problems, safety isn't an issue, and true love can be proved by raging hormones.Now, since I am a proud '90s kid, I did see this movie when I was in high school.
Then again, since Drew Barrymore's character is crazy, maybe it's not fine and you need to figure out why you like this movie if it does remind you of your first relationship.
If you didn't grow up in the decade where standing up in a moving car was a good idea and falling in love with a lunatic was just considered "young and reckless" then there's no way you can take this movie seriously.
Just realize that Chris O'Donnell is going to be enormously stupid and Drew Barrymore is going to be enormously crazy, and let it go at that..
Mad Love (1995) *** (out of 4)Good boy Matt (Chris O'Donnell) has Casey (Drew Barrymore) move into the house across from his.
Matt uses a telescope to check her out and they finally meet but before too long he realizes that she is suffering from some mental problems.MAD LOVE pretty much came and went from theaters without making too much of a splash.
By today's standards, it was probably a big disappointment as you had two hot young stars and the film just didn't catch on them and it really hasn't gained any sort of following in the years since, which is too bad and especially if you're fans of O'Donnell and Barrymore.Look, this film is rather stupid in its simple view of mental illness but at the same time there's no question that the two leads are quite good together and both of them deliver fine performances, which makes this film much more watchable than it would have been otherwise.
If you're a fan of the two stars then the film is worth checking out as long as your expectations aren't too high.The biggest problem with the movie is that the O'Donnell character is a bit blind and does a few too many stupid things.
Matt is taken with new girl Casey Roberts (Drew Barrymore).
However, her manic depressive state gets more volatile and beyond his ability to help.I never bought Chris O'Donnell as a romantic lead.
Shirtless in Seattle, handsome blue-eyed Chris O'Donnell (as Matt Leland) has his telescope trained on jiggling blonde Drew Barrymore (as Casey Roberts).
Besides, it looks like car theft is legal in the southwest.***** Mad Love (5/26/95) Antonia Bird ~ Chris O'Donnell, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Dunn, Liev Schreiber.
Mad Love success is formally down to the leads Drew Barrymore and Chris O' Donnell.
Their chemistry together, their development, twists and turns make you genuinely care about the characters.If that's the only reason you see the film then go right ahead.The subject of Bi-Polar is sensitively approached under the direction of Antonia Bird and I can honestly say that this is one of my favourite coming - of age dramas and made me fall in love with both Barrymore and O'Donnell and follow along on their incredible journey together.Some may guffaw at the cinematography, it is a fairly old film but the most important thing is the story and the acting which remain strong throughout..
This film feels like an indie set-up but the mainstream stars (Chris O'Donnel and Drew Barrymore) give it a false sense of Hollywood glamour.
Donnel's character is as bland as a blancmange, leaving Barrymore to seize centre stage in an even yet watchable performance as a depressed young woman.
Drew Barrymore character Casey is beautifully troubled.....beautiful and troubled.
Drew Barrymore's performance in this movie is amazing.
Bottom line....A must see for Drew Barrymore fans, a good one to pass on if you're not.
As a Drew Barrymore fan, I rented this movie.
If anyone ever has doubt that Drew Barrymore is anything short than an amazing actress, you haven't seen this movie..
good movie,loved it.Drew and chris give good performances.But I wonder,they ran away together with hardly any money, so how the hell they get all those damn candles??Well besides that,its good i give it a 9/10.You may like it or not,but its one of those were weather or not u like it,You gotta see it..
Story of a high school senior (Chris O'Donnell) who takes to the road with new-found love Drew Barrymore when they are faced with permanent separation.
O'Donnell eventually realizes Barrymore's maniac-depressive and is faced with an ultimate decision in the film's ending.
'Mad Love' doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up: a teen romance or a tale of mental disorder.
The star-duo makes the film worth viewing but nothing else does.Rating System***** Excellent **** Good *** Fair ** Poor * Bad. Drew shines in her performance.
Drew shines in her performance as Casey, and her portrayal of this type of mental illness is brilliant (coming from someone who suffers from it) , she is particularly moving in the restaurant scene.
Chris o' Donnell's role in the movie is more like the audiences - trying to understand Drew (Casey) and what she's going through while being madly in love with her.
As with mental illness not a lot of people "got" this movie - and thats a shame, because this is one of Drews better films.
A high school couple run away from home after her parents put her into the mental hospital for clinical depression and trying to commit suicide.Sorry to say but the movie suck big time.
Story about a high-school senior, Matt Leland (Chris O'Donnell), who draws like a moth to a flame to maniac-depressive Casey Roberts (Drew Barrymore).
Together they go on a road trip against parental wishes after Matt heard Casey was brought to a psychiatric hospital due to her problems and helped her escape - him not seeing what was wrong with her at the time.
I was initially drawn to this movie for two reasons - Drew Barrymore & seeing her play a kind, but mentally disturbed woman.
I thought that Drew gave a very heartfelt performance, but it wasn't enough to carry the movie.
The movie had little impact on me, & I would only recommend to die-hard Drew fans..
Ever since Chris O'Donnell appeared in `Scent of a Woman' with Al Pacino in one of his best rôles, I have been looking forward to seeing this young actor in more good parts.
Am still waiting  An old saying of mine says that where a lot of noise comes out, not much goes in; this would seem to be the case with most 18-20 year-olds today, if what we see (and hear) in this film and many others of like ilk are anything to go by.`Mad Love' is obviously aimed at noisy 18-20 year-olds who do not have much stuffing inside their craniums, and so are easily worked up into all kinds of fathomless feelings, usually caused by lack of any emotional stability, either within or without their families.The fact that Drew Barrymore leaves me as cold as a haddock on the fishmonger's counter is a good point to start from: she has not done anything to draw my attention (on the screen) and off it she has shown herself to be rather subject to some rather stupid behaviour; I presume this `whacks' with uncountable teenagers in innumerable towns and cities across the wide continent of North America, as well as in places dotted all over Europe.
She can almost transmit her desperation.I think the best part of the movie, is Casey's character, and Barrymore's performance.
If you love Drew Barrymore or Chris O'Donnell you have gotta watch this movie..
Anyway, I love this movie and I wish I were as handsome as Chris O'Donnell....
Casting Drew Barrymore in this role as Casey Roberts is perhaps at least half the reason that this story turned out so successfully in my eyes.
The impulsiveness of true love in this film on the part of both Casey/Drew and Matt/Chris has to be the most wonderfully portrayed and supported side of romance.
But Casey, played by Drew Barrymore, really turns his life around.
drew barrymore is a brilliant actress and i think without her this film wouldnt have been so successfull.
but of course the main storyline is the romance between matt and casey which is the only thing we really did see to any full extent which is fine i think chris and drew worked well together.
i think drews manic depressive act was pretty impressive and i am one, the ending was a complete let down with drews voice saying how shes nicely recovering in chicago,  however i do love the film after all that and im trying to find it in a shop to buy and i give it a 10 probably because drew got the manic depression thing so right and i found it so moving.
Chris O'Donnell is in love with Drew, and Drew has issues.
But I will also say now that I hate her movie 'Mad Love'.
Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell light up the screen in this romantic comedy about teenage love.
Barrymore and O'Donnell act amazingly together in this film.
Nice acting by both Chris O'Donnell and Drew Barrymore, and the music in it was great!.
Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell Make A Great Team,In This Romantic Comedy!.
Drew Barrymore is one of my favourite actress' and she never fails to disappoint me in her films,this one was no exception.The same goes for Chris O'Donnell,who was a great co-star and both of them,were brilliant playing the troubled couple.This film,has a couple of good laughs and a very sweet story-line,which i enjoyed alot.Go see it now!.
A movie about passion, parental problems, and mostly love.
Drew Barrymore's acting is just incredible, perhaps her best performance ever.
The film makes the view wonder what it would be like to fall in love so deeply that you don't feel guilty about leaving your family, or jeopardize your future..
Mad Love is a complex and intriguing story about teenage love and crisis.Barrymore is a convincing Casey Roberts, a girl with a wild streak a mile wide, a problem, and an overbearing father that does nothing to help the problem.
O'Donnell plays Matt Leland, the classic clean-cut guy that falls for a less-than-perfect girl - Casey.It's truly a moving storyline paired with an awesome soundtrack.
Drew Barrymore stars as a free-spirited young teen with a deep dark secret.
Mad Love is a movie that promises not to disappoint.
Drew Barrymore's Casey, a butterfly-loving free spirit given to cutting class in favor of joyrides in her Volkswagen Beetle, turns the head of good boy Matt (Chris O'Donnell) so quickly he nearly gets whiplash.
It told a great story about love, relationships, and most of all teenage parental problems.
The beautifully talented Drew Barrymore gave off a heavenly light when she was happy, a sympathetic feeling when she was sad that made you want to help her.
It stars Drew Barrymore as Casey and Chris O'Donnell as Matt.
It's the best performance I've seen from her.How was this largely ignored - yet the very boring The Fault in Our Stars (which is also an American romantic drama film which deals with ill teens in a new relationship) was massively successful?.
I love Drew Barrymore and I've never seen her look more desirable than in this movie.
She soon meets Chris O'Donnell, who decides it would be a good idea to shirk all responsibility to his family in favor of kidnapping Drew and hitting the road as a fugitive.
Chris really shines in this movie because he plays the perfect responsible and care-giving individual that would be attracted to and give care to Drew.
Chris is often walking on eggshells to avoid offending or hurting her.What makes this movie so good is the perfect example of a mental illness.
It's about mental illness and how it affects the person and those around them.It felt like the ending as intended was when the doors closed behind Drew's character as she entered the hospital.
She's doing better with the help of doctors, not magically cured.As for Chris O'Donnell's performance, I thought it was fine.
This was obvious from the scenes leading up to him talking to Drew's character.As a disclaimer I like Drew Barrymore in everything I've seen her in, not necessarily the movie, but her performance at least.
Drew Barrymore is committed temporarily to a mental ward and everything is fine for awhile until her idiot boyfriend Chris O'Donnell gets the bright idea to 'rescue' her and take her on the lam with him.The two fugitives begin their journey in Seattle and decide to head for Mexico.
A great love story about two emotionally different teens..
Drew Barrymore plays the role that she does best, the wild and crazy free spirit.
Chris and Drew have great chemistry together in this film.
Mad Love probably generated as much of a viewer ship as it did because of the likability of the two principal, Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell.
I never thought of the movie as anything special, and figured that this would probably survive obscurity by fans of the cast or those who appreciate a decent dreamy romantic drama every now again, for which it is quite abundant.O'Donnell, though never a spectacular lead, carries well himself well as the good-natured, soft-spoken high school teen, Matt Leland.
Upon meeting flamboyant, rule-breaker Casey Roberts (Drew Barrymore, working with the type of characters that always seem to suit her), Leland falls in love with the rather tragic character and goes through one of those earmarked defiances and coming-of-age experiences.
At least they had effectively done that much.Not an impressive or all to memorable movie, though, as I said before, you should be pleased if you generally enjoy O'Donnell and Barrymore, or, if you're just a sucker for dreamy romantic dramas..