September 14, 1993, updated May 28, 2008 -- ``True Romance'' is a rather silly and violent Hollywood fable that manages to be entertaining.

The film, staring teen heart throb Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, along with Dennis Hopper (so you know the film is weird), Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt and Christopher Walken, is not believable, but it is fun, for the most part.

The story begins with an unlikely romance between a couple of dim bulbs, Slater, who works in a comic book store, and Arquette, a neophyte hooker. The two meet, fall in love and get married in a rush.

Slater decides he needs to confront her former pimp because it's what Elvis would have done. Elvis (Val Kilmer) lurks in various dark corners of the film. When Slater ends up killing the uncooperative pimp he also gets hold of his suitcase full of cocaine. The couple decides to sell the cocaine during their honeymoon trip to California, where they end up in a deadly shootout between the police and organized crime thugs who want their cocaine stash back.

The story is unbelievable because the two main characters obviously don't have what it takes to outsmart and outgun the mobsters who are after them. They should have been killed 10 times over.

Despite this serious flaw, the film does have its moments. There is humor and suspense and plenty of action in the film. Director Tony Scott keeps things moving quickly so you don't have much time to consider the absurdity of the plot. The movie also has a kind of goofy charm. It would have been more charming with less gore. Its saving grace is that the film does not take itself seriously and pokes fun at the genre. The film rates a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.