Mad Love (1995 film)
Mad Love is a 1995 American teen comedy-drama romance film directed by Antonia Bird and starring Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell. It was written by Paula Milne. The original music score is composed by Andy Roberts. Plot. In Seattle, straight-laced Matt Leland (O'Donnell) falls in love with beautiful Casey Roberts (Barrymore), the new schoolmate from Chicago. They begin a relationship. She deliberately sets off the fire alarm at school, trying to get Matt's attention, and is subsequently suspended. She has an argument with her parents over it and they tell her they are  sending her to a boarding school. His father disapproves of their relationship and her parents try to stop them from continuing to see each other. She takes an overdose and they subsequently have her committed. Matt helps her escape from the psychiatric ward, and as they run away they must deal with her borderline personality disorder. Casey is eccentric in nature. Her impulsiveness and risk-taking is attributed to her illness, in which she experiences frequent intense feelings, of passion toward Matt and of fear and destructiveness, which dominate her persona. Throughout the relationship, Matt selflessly puts her needs before  his. The severity of her highs and lows increase as her mental state worsens. Heading toward Mexico in Matt's SUV, Casey becomes increasingly reckless and overemotional. They crash and abandon the vehicle. They hitchhike, accepting a lift from a salesman (Liev Schreiber). He puts his hand on Casey's lap and she protects herself with a lit cigarette. He throws her out and a fight ensues between him and Matt. They steal his car and continue their journey. Casey becomes more distressed and Matt does his best to help her. She scares him; after she threatens suicide and also  threatens to shoot him with a gun she took from the glove compartment in the salesman's car. They return to Seattle and their families, where she is readmitted to the psychiatric hospital. Matt goes home, missing their time together. He later receives a letter from Casey saying she has moved back to Chicago and now feels significantly better. She writes "I had a dream last night, you were in it. You waved to me, maybe to say goodbye, it doesn't matter. Whatever happens, I'm proud of what we went through. It helps me get through the day . That, and you in my heart" implying she wants him back. Reception. The film received mixed reviews from critics, as it currently holds a 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews. O'Donnell's performance was highly praised by critics. "Variety" published a mixed review by critic Emanuel Levy. He labeled the film as "yet another variation on amour fou and love on the run that makes little sense and fails to reach the heart". He also commented that "large sections of the pic are immensely likable" and highlighted aspects such as the realistic portrayal of mental illness. The  media service LoveFilm also gave a mixed review, calling the film a "b-movie road adventure".