The Thing Called Love

The Thing Called Love follows Miranda Presley, a young songwriter who leaves New York for Nashville, the heart of country music, hoping to build a career as a singer. She takes part in an audition at the Bluebird Cafe, a bar known as a proving ground for new talent. The tryout does not go as she hoped, but she befriends other aspiring musicians in the same position, among them the gifted but volatile James Wright, the shy Kyle Davidson and the warm-hearted Linda Lue Linden. She settles in the city, finds work and keeps writing songs, while a romantic triangle forms between her, James and Kyle. The film is set in the world of newcomers trying to break into the country music business.

Peter Bogdanovich directed the film from a screenplay by Carol Heikkinen, with John Davis producing. It was released in 1993, arriving in the middle of Bogdanovich's career, several years after films such as Mask, Texasville and Noises Off... River Phoenix plays James Wright and Samantha Mathis plays Miranda Presley, with Dermot Mulroney, Sandra Bullock and Anthony Clark in supporting roles. The cast runs to forty credited performers.

The film cost around 14 million dollars and took about one million dollars worldwide, a wide gap between its budget and its returns. On IMDb it holds 6.4 out of 10 from roughly 9,300 votes, while on TMDB it has 6.1 out of 10 from around 152 votes. A critics' rating of 5.5 out of 10 from 22 reviews places it close to the audience scores.