Untamed Heart

Untamed Heart is a 1993 American romantic drama film directed by Tony Bill, written by Tom Sierchio, and starring Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei.

Adam, claiming that he has a baboon's heart (lovingly told to him by a nun at the orphanage where he grew up), refuses to listen, stating that he is afraid he will no longer be the same person if he gets a transplant.

After Adam's funeral, Caroline goes to his apartment and opens his gift for her: a box of his record albums with a handwritten note declaring his love.

The centerpiece was Jim's Coffee Shop & Bakery, which actually existed at the time of production but was closed to the public for the duration of shooting the film.

[5] Tomei wanted to have a believable regional accent[3] and had her driver Craig Kittelson double act as her dialogue coach.

[11] Vincent Canby of The New York Times said the film "is to the mind what freshly discarded chewing gum is to the sole of a shoe: an irritant that slows movement without any real danger of stopping it".

[13] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B−" rating and wrote, "if Untamed Heart is often too precious for words, there’s one thing in it that feels miraculously fresh…Marisa Tomei, who follows up her rollicking caricature of a streetwise Italian dish in My Cousin Vinny by proving that she’s a major actress…rescues her role through sheer eagerness.

"[14] Peter Rainer of the Los Angeles Times said Tomei "pulls you into Caroline’s spunky despair without ever condescending to the character".

[15] In his review for The New Yorker, Anthony Lane praised Tomei for bringing "startling high spirits to a dullish role.

Gone are the wily Jack Nicholson-ish line readings and smart-aleck scruffiness",[15] while Ebert wrote he "projects the right note of mystery and doomed romance".

[10] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers wrote, "The Rain Man-Dying Young elements in Tom Sierchio's script are pitfalls that Slater dodges with a wonderfully appealing performance.

"[17] Mike Clark, in his review for USA Today, wrote, "Director Tony Bill (My Bodyguard) is adept both in the yarn's meticulous buildup and in his handling of the actors".