“Why should a young girl like that love an old fart like me? I’d be a meal ticket for her, and nothing more.”
|
Synopsis:
A 17-year-old hippie named Breezy (Kay Lenz) falls in love with a divorced, middle-aged real estate broker (William Holden).
|
|
Genres:
Response to Peary’s Review:
It’s too bad this early Clint Eastwood film remains so obscure, because it’s actually a remarkably touching romantic drama. In his second directorial effort, Eastwood effectively explores what it’s like for two “souls” to meet and fall in love across the chasms of age and lifestyle. If two people this different can fall in love and make it work, then maybe there’s hope for our motley world after all. It’s a toss-up whether you’ll find Kay Lenz’s performance to be cloying or appealing, but I vote for the latter — her fresh-faced presence adds a perfect sensibility to the title role. William Holden is equally effective in a role which seems tailor-made for him.
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- Kay Lenz’s appealing performance as the good-hearted Breezy
- William Holden as a conservative businessman who reluctantly finds himself in love again
- An excellent examination of the difficulties inherent in a cross-age, cross-cultural romance
Must See?
Yes. It’s an unusual entry in Clint Eastwood’s impressive directorial oeuvre, and definitely worth a look.
Categories
Links:
|
Posted on July 5th, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Response Reviews
This movie is weird. Poor William had to see all that crap!!!!
I did not like this movie!!!!!!
I’m curious what you mean by “all that crap”…
Alas, I find this too uneven to be a must.
In spite of the genuine emotion invested by the leads and the occasional insightful exchanges between them and various characters, I find I don’t ultimately buy it all. Not that I don’t buy the premise - just the way it all plays out.
A few things get in the way specifically: a really sappy theme song - played three too many times, including throughout that old ’70s standby of ‘the montage’; a good deal of dialogue that doesn’t work, at odds with the stuff that does. The movie seems 10-15 minutes too long.
Lenz does have a very natural quality here (even if some of her lines are a bit much); Holden expresses much subtext in his pauses - and when he says things like “Nobody matures, they just grow tired.”, you believe him.
The scene early on in which Lenz gets picked up by someone who doesn’t look scary but is scary is kind of scary.
Overall, the film is basically watchable.