Watch The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond is a melodrama set in the 1920s that revolves around a young heiress named Fisher Willow, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Recently returned from Europe and determined to rebel against her social-climbing mother and high society's expectations, Fisher hires Jimmy Dobyne, played by Chris Evans, a handsome and impoverished young man, to escort her to various events.

Fisher possesses a valuable family heirloom: a teardrop-shaped diamond that she wears around her neck. It is one of the few mementos of her deceased father, whom her mother always resented because he did not come from old money. The diamond becomes a symbol of Fisher's struggle to assert her independence and find happiness on her own terms.

Fisher and Jimmy's relationship is initially fraught with tension, as Fisher is headstrong and arrogant, and Jimmy is prideful and resentful of the class divide between them. However, as they spend more time together, they begin to develop feelings for each other, and their interactions become increasingly intimate.

While attending a party at the home of one of her mother's old friends, Fisher becomes the center of scandal when a drunken guest steals the diamond from her necklace. Fisher and Jimmy embark on a frantic search to recover the diamond, leading them to various seedy corners of Memphis where they encounter an array of colorful characters, including gangsters and prostitutes.

Throughout the film, director Jodie Markell masterfully captures the texture and mood of the era in which the story is set, evoking the glamour and excess of the Charleston era as well as the grittiness and violence of the crime-ridden south.

Howard gives a captivating performance as Fisher, evoking both her character's fierce determination and her underlying vulnerabilities. Her dynamic with Evans is electric, with their chemistry building slowly but surely over the course of the film. Meanwhile, Will Patton turns in a nuanced performance as Fisher's mother, portraying the character's desperation to cling to her status and reputation, even as she excludes her own daughter from her life.

One of the film's strengths is its ability to balance its more melodramatic moments with lighter, more comedic scenes. The banter between Fisher and Jimmy, as well as their interactions with the various eccentric characters they encounter in their search for the diamond, provide welcome relief from the film's darker themes.

Overall, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond is a well-crafted romantic melodrama that is sure to captivate audiences with its performances, lush cinematography, and evocative period setting. While the film may not break any new ground in terms of storytelling, it succeeds on the strength of its solid script and top-notch cast, who breathe life into their characters and make the audience truly care about their fates.

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond is a 2008 drama. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.8 and a MetaScore of 51.