robinski34 As with almost all biopics, half the battle with LoL is having an interest (passing or otherwise) in the life and times of the subject, in this case Soho porn purveyor Paul Raymond. To be fair however, there are enough interesting performances to haul the less committed viewer through to the end. The turns by Imogen Poots as Raymond's daughter Debbie and Chris Addison as Men Only boss Tony Power stand out, and it is never difficult to watch Anna Friel, here playing Raymond's wife Jean. Coogan himself is at the centre of everything, however the story almost seems to take place around him, with many events happening to Raymond rather than being driven by him. There are plenty of British thesps to spot, with David Walliams being prominent among them, and the production design deserves high billing for the glorious memories of time and place that it evokes. An amusing diversion, but there are difficult moments, and it's not all fluff and smut, the 18 certificate is deserved for various reasons. In the end, the film is unlikely to live long in the memory.

l_rawjalaurence Recounting the life of porn king and entrepreneur Paul Raymond, THE LOOK OF LOVE tells the story of a self-made man, born Geoffrey Quinn, who rose to become Britain's richest man. He achieved this by buying innumerable properties and setting up a porn empire that at its height included the Raymond Revuebar, the Windmill Theatre, the Whitehall Theatre, plus two best-selling magazines, "Men Only" and "Club International." Despite such success, Raymond - as characterized by Steve Coogan - remained a fundamentally unhappy man. Obsessed with the idea of proving his virility, he spent most of his time bedding young women as well as taking vicarious pleasure in watching women perform various sex acts on stage. Although his daughter Debbie (Imogen Poots) was devoted to him, Raymond remained indifferent to her - unless, that is, she could make more money for him, He cast her in an ill-starred revue, "Royalty Follies," in a leading role for which she was completely unsuited. The only time Raymond actually missed her was at her death due to a drug overdose. Michael Winterbottom's film makes no judgment on Raymond, but nonetheless suggests the emptiness of the world he created - neither titillating nor sexy, it simply treated women as objects. The film does a brilliant job of recreating the seedy Soho world of the Sixties and Seventies, with its grimy streets and tatty shops. Steve Coogan does a wonderful job in the leading role; he is proving to be a talented performer in a variety of vehicles. THE LOOK OF LOVE contains a gallery of cameo roles from British comedians, including Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, David Wallians and Miles Jupp; but its story remains a fundamentally melancholy one to tell.

grantss OK, but not profound or overly interesting. Directed by Michael Winterbottom (director of 9 Songs, among others), with the subject being a owner of nude bars and men's magazines, you'd think this would be quite gritty. Sure, there's heaps of nudity but it all just seems pretty conventional. It's like a step-by-step history lesson, with the history being not that exciting or controversial.I was thinking this may be like a UK version of The People vs Larry Flynt, but the movie goes nowhere near freedom of expression/speech issues. There is no great moral, societal or political statement in this movie.The ending was quite emotional though, and that maybe showed more of what the movie was about. But for the ending, there would have been no point to the movie. The ending shifts the movie from the "don't like" to the "marginally do like" category.Great performance by Steve Coogan in the lead role. He uses all his comedic talents to deliver some great lines of dialogue, not all of which are meant to be funny, but which do give his character a warmth and relatability. Decent supporting cast too.

leonblackwood Review: This movie starts off well but then it goes downhill once the relationship between Paul Raymond and his daughter gets introduced. The movie focuses on a period in his life more than his legacy, which is a shame because I found him quite interesting. All of the actors put in good performances and I liked the wit that was put into the script, but I did get bored after a while. Steve Coogan played his part well, taking into consideration that he is coming from a comedy background, but I was hoping for a deeper look into the tycoon. It ends without much explanation about what happened to Paul Raymond and his family and I would have like to see some real footage, either on the bonus material on the DVD or even at the end of the movie. I honestly think that the director cold have done much better with such an interesting individual. Disappointing!Round-Up: Judging by the money that this movie had made, audiences obviously didn't like the directors interpretation of Paul Raymond's life. I hadn't heard of him before watching this movie so I found his story quite interesting. I didn't know that Soho had been controlled by one person and how the whole empire started so it was a bit of an eye opener. I would like to see a proper biopic though.Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $16,000 (Terrible!)I recommend this movie to people who like there graphic dramas about Paul Raymond and a period of his life. 3/10