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Month: September 2009

Choose Me (1984)

Choose Me (1984)

“Men fantasize about her; women trust her.”

Synopsis:
A mysterious drifter (Keith Carradine) enters the lives of a renowned radio talk show host (Genevieve Bujold) and a bar owner (Lesley Ann Warren) in Los Angeles.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alan Rudolph Films
  • Genevieve Bujold Films
  • Keith Carradine Films
  • Looking for Ms./Mr. Right
  • Mistaken Identities
  • Radio

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “zany film” about “troubled characters who make coincidental connections with each other, put up false fronts, act crazy, and are hopelessly confused and worried about sex, love, marriage, and their inability to communicate” is a sleeper favorite of many — possibly because we can all relate to feeling this way ourselves at one point or another in our lives. The “preposterous” ensemble storyline (written by Rudolph) nonetheless “has the ‘logic’ of crazy real life”, and “we willingly suspend our disbelief because we’re touched by the characters and root for them to make it out of their misery”. This is due in large part to the “superb” cast, with Lesley Ann Warren giving perhaps her most vulnerable performance, and Genevieve Bujold digging deep into the neuroses of her character — a famed sexologist who, ironically, has never experienced satisfying intimacy herself. Carradine essentially plays yet another a variation on his standard womanizing persona, but, as Peary notes, in this film we “believe him each time” he “tells [a] woman that he loves her and wants to marry her”:

… and we’re relieved that he ultimately “manages to be a positive influence.” Adding to the film’s dreamlike ambience are Jan Kiesser’s cinematography (evoking a nighttime L.A. unlike any other I’ve seen) and the jazzy soundtrack by Teddy Pendergrass, whose “Choose me, baby” refrain emerges at strategic, emotionally loaded moments.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Genevieve Bujold as Dr. Love/Ann
  • Lesley Ann Warren as Eve (voted one of the best actresses of the year in Peary’s Alternate Oscars book)
  • Lush, evocative visuals

  • Teddy Pendergrass’s background score

Must See?
Yes, as perhaps Rudolph’s most memorable film.

Categories

  • Important Director

Links:

Moment by Moment (1978)

Moment by Moment (1978)

“I don’t even know what the word love means anymore.”

Synopsis:
A young drifter (John Travolta) falls for an older wealthy woman (Lily Tomlin), and an unconventional romance ensues.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Cross-Class Romance
  • John Travolta Films
  • Lily Tomlin Films
  • May-December Romance

Review:
This notoriously panned turkey (dubbed a Camp Classic in the back of Peary’s book) co-stars a hunky young John Travolta — fresh from his success in both Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978) — and Lily Tomlin, three years after her Oscar-nominated performance in Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975). Much of the film’s unintentional humor comes from the utterly improbable romantic pairing of these two lookalike actors — and not just because of their difference in age.

With no offense meant, Tomlin (whose partner, Jane Wagner, wrote and directed the movie) simply isn’t the most fetching of women, so it’s difficult to understand why a young hunk like Travolta would fall head over heels for her. Indeed, during the intriguing first half hour of the film, we’re convinced, much like Tomlin’s “Trisha”, that “Strip” (yes, that’s Travolta’s name here, and it’s good for a few laughs) must be a con-artist out to abuse her wealth; once it’s revealed that he’s genuinely in (puppy)-love with her, all disbelief must thereafter be suspended. With that said, Moment by Moment isn’t nearly as bad as its critics would have you believe: Tomlin is fine, if a tad one-note, as a depressed housewife whose husband has cheated on her, and Travolta is actually quite charming as a young drifter with no one to cling to but Trish. While the soaper storyline is utterly predictable (Tomlin is ashamed to be seen with Strip — who knew?!):

… you may be surprised to find yourself rooting for this unconventional couple by the end of the film.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • John Travolta as Strip

Must See?
No — but it’s not nearly as bad as its reputation would lead you to believe.

Links:

Little Princess, The (1939)

Little Princess, The (1939)

“Sara has no mother, and we’ve never been separated for more than a few days.”

Synopsis:
When her father (Ian Hunter) leaves to fight in the Boer War, Sara Crewe (Shirley Temple) is sent to a boarding school run by snooty Miss Minchin (Mary Nash). When notice arrives that Captain Crewe (Hunter) has died a penniless man, Sara becomes a servant at the school — but she refuses to believe her father is really dead.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Boarding School
  • Cesar Romero Films
  • Historical Drama
  • Ian Hunter Films
  • Search
  • Shirley Temple Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Despite its generally acknowledged status as “one of Temple’s best films”, Peary isn’t a big fan of this Technicolor adaptation of Frances Hodges Burnett’s Victorian children’s novel. He argues that “while it is lavishly produced and features what was [Temple’s] last impressive performance as a child actor, the story is flimsy and predictable”, and notes that by 1939, “it was getting tiresome watching Temple’s little girls suffer.” Modern viewers, however, won’t have to experience the same sense of fatigue, given that we can pick and choose which of Temple’s many childhood films — Peary lists just five of her earlier hits in his book — we want to see. Diehard fans of Burnett’s book may be disturbed by the many changes made in the screenplay, but the spirit of the novel remains intact, and Temple (who looks nothing like Burnett’s description of the protagonist) brings a much-needed air of optimism and spunk to the role of poor Sara Crewe. Equally impressive is Temple’s co-star, Sybil Jason, who plays a young Cockney maid. [It’s interesting to note that Temple was, in fact, jealous of Jason’s performance, given the adulation heaped upon her by the film’s crew.]

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Shirley Temple as Sarah
  • Sybil Jason as Becky

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look as one of Temple’s most famous films.

Links: