Something's gotta give (Diane Keaton)

(Amazon UK link)

I’ve no idea why Amazon recommended this DVD to me, unless it was because I had previous liked films with Diane Keaton in. It looked like a good film, anyway, and I bought it second-hand from World of Books online to collect during a recent visit to the UK. I had no idea what it was about but we decided to watch it last night.

Diane Keaton is excellent - playing Erica, a rather different kind of character from her usual somewhat harassed mother of several children. In this film she’s a slim, attractive playwright in her early fifties; separated from her husband (Paul Michael Glaser) amicably - so much so that he still works as her agent. They have one daughter, Marin (Amanda Peet), who’s 28. We meet her as she’s on her way to the huge family home for a weekend with her new boyfriend. 

Which would be fine, except that the ‘boyfriend’, Harry, is played by Jack Nicholson, and is 63. There’s nothing wrong with a large age gap between partners, but we quickly learn that Harry is a serial womaniser who only ever dates women under the age of 30. As so often with characters played by this actor, he’s sleazy, and (in my view) entirely unappealing. 

Mild humour emerges when Erica and her sister Zoe (Frances McDormand) arrive unexpectedly and think Harry is a burglar. Once that’s sorted out, they’re both quite accepting of him as a partner for Erica’s daughter, and they agree to stay, keeping out of each other’s way… until a medical emergency sends them all to hospital. Keanu Reeves plays a very helpful, friendly and attractive doctor called Julian, who turns out to be a huge fan of Erica’s plays. I thought he was one of the nicest characters in the film. 

There’s a bit of slapstick, and reality has to be suspended several times. For instance, Erica’s plays are all instant hits… her daughter sells million-dollar art at an auction… Harry has had not just a few or even a dozen but apparently hundreds of relationships with young women. But the most unlikely thing, in my mind,  is Erica being attracted to Harry, who comes across as untrustworthy, unreliable, and extremely unhealthy. 

There’s a lot of ‘adult’ humour and bad language that really adds nothing to the plot; bedroom scenes are not explicit so that the rating is 15; not that anyone under the age of 30 is likely to have any interest in a film like this. There are some partial nudity shots (with a great deal more implied) done for humour rather than being provocative, and we did smile a few times. But the ‘romantic’ threads of this ‘rom-com’ really did nothing for me. 

The film was made in 2003; we had guessed it was at least fifteen years old, partly because Diana Keaton looks so young - and partly because of the very basic mobile phones that do nothing but phone calls and text messages. However it didn’t feel all that dated otherwise. And it’s well done, with a good pace, and a few thought-provoking comments - such as the problems older, intelligent single or divorced women apparently have in finding romantic partners. 

Diane Keaton is perfect in her part; sometimes exaggerating her emotions and actions, sometimes giving her amazing smile, sometimes wise and intelligent. She’s a bit of an uptight character at first - despite being so relaxed with her daughter - and is released from that in a way that feels unrealistic and rather sleazy. I have never much liked characters played by Jack Nicholson, and Harry is no exception. He supposedly realises the error of his ways towards the end of the film, but it appears artificial; I didn’t trust him at all. 

I didn’t like the ending much, either. I would have cut the last brief scene set in Paris towards the end, and then changed the epilogue scenes to involve a different character. The way it ended left me feeling a bit disturbed. I suppose it’s a mark of a good film that the characters got under my skin so much. 

There are a few extras - mainly commentaries, and one deleted scene involving a somewhat schmaltzy song. 

I sound negative - but it’s not a bad film; I felt quite engrossed in the story for most of it. Apparently Diane Keaton won several awards for it.  We may well watch it again in a few years. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Bucket List (Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson)

(Amazon UK link)

I’d heard of the film ‘The Bucket List’ about ten years ago, after a friend watched it. She introduced me to the idea of a ‘Bucket List’ - things we hope to do before we ‘kick the bucket’. It’s a phrase that has become so widely used now that it’s hard to remember that it was coined by this film in 2007. We hadn’t seen the film, so when I saw a new DVD - still sealed in cellophane - at a church sale, I didn’t hesitate to pay 50 cents to buy it, and we decided to watch it last night.

Part of the reason for picking the film up is that one of the main characters is Morgan Freeman, who is one of my favourite actors. The other is Jack Nicholson, who is also well-known. I knew the outline of the story, such as it is: two terminally ill patients decide to make a list of things they have always wanted to do, and then actually do them. But I had no idea how it would all pan out.

The first twenty minutes or so of the film are so depressing that, despite the high quality acting and script, we almost stopped watching. We meet Carter (Morgan Freeman) who works as a mechanic in a garage, and Edward (Jack Nicholson) who is a high-powered millionaire businessman. Carter is clearly a likeable and highly knowledgeable man, while Edward is pushy, arrogant and loud. He owns the hospital where he is subsequently taken, and finds himself in a room with Carter.

That part is fine, but there is rather a lot of medical talk, unpleasant images of Edward reacting badly to chemotherapy (albeit from behind) and their eventual diagnoses. In the context of what’s supposed to be a light comedy drama, this seemed very heavy. Then their rapid apparent recoveries, and seeing them setting out to travel the world and fulfil their dreams (funded by Edward) feels a bit unlikely.  

But of course it’s an unlikely premise anyway. I didn’t find Edward’s character particularly believable, although I liked Carter very much. Edward is the one who pushes them to go, persuading Carter that they might as well enjoy their last few months. Carter’s wife Virginia is not convinced; she’s a nurse, and understands his illness and that she may lose him. She doesn’t want him away, possibly becoming ill again while out of the country.

The travelling part of the film is a series of short snippets - the two drive racing cars, visit the pyramids and many other landmarks that Carter had only ever dreamed of. We learn that he had wanted to be a history teacher, but took a job as mechanic when his wife learned that she was expecting their first child. He never fulfilled that dream, although his knowledge is so extensive that he is able to explain many artefacts and historical detail to Edward as they travel.

It’s well done, and in places amusing, although there’s always the diagnosis in the background, and I kept wondering when one or other of the men would show signs of becoming ill again. There’s an excellent supporting character in Thomas (Sean Hayes) who is Edward’s PA, treated badly at times but willing to speak his mind too. Gradually Edward does start to think more of Carter and his family than himself, although he remains quite self-centred.

I did appreciate the way that Morgan Freeman’s character is so likeable, with a strong Christian faith which he only mentions when directly asked. There are a few brief conversations about the nature of faith and God, and he isn’t at all pushy. But he’s clearly lived an upright, moral and loving life; and while he’s a bit disillusioned with his marriage and family, an incident happens that puts it all into perspective.

The ending of the film is perhaps a tad schmaltzy, but that’s fine. Given that it’s (predictably) not a happy ending, I thought it well done, with one of the characters, at least, finding hope for the future. And it’s really the only ‘story’ part. The idea of a ‘bucket list’ was novel when it was introduced; the film made a great impression on my friend ten years ago. But now, with the phrase in common parlance, and the basic plot well known, there wasn’t much that was moving or which we could relate to. If it weren’t for the excellent performances from the two main characters, I wouldn’t recommend it at all.

The rating is 12, which I think is right, given the subject matter of the film. There’s very little bad language, and nothing explicit but unlikely to be of much interest to anyone under the age of about fifty anyway.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Terms of Endearment (Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger)

(Amazon UK link)

We were ready to watch a film a little earlier than usual last night, so decided to opt for one of the slightly longer ones in our ‘to-watch’ drawer: ‘Terms of Endearment’. This drawer contains some films we have not yet seen, and some which we haven’t seen for at least nine or ten years. Neither of us could recall having seen this before, but as we watched it, some scenes were familiar. I later discovered that we first saw the film towards the end of 2011.

‘Terms of Endearment’ was produced in 1983, although it feels rather older. Shirley MacLaine is wonderful as the rather uptight Aurora, who worries about many things and has a hard time expressing any emotions. The first part of the film sees her panicking that her infant daughter Emma has stopped breathing, something which apparently happens every night. She’s happier when she manages to wake her daughter, and then hears her crying.

The scene is done in an exaggerated way to show that it’s light-hearted but it’s bittersweet; the worst could have happened, after all. And the next scene shows the aftermath of the funeral of Aurora’s husband, when Emma is perhaps eight or nine. We fast forward to Emma’s student years, and then to the eve of her marriage to a young man with the bizarre name of Flap (Jeff Daniels), who is a teacher. Emma (Debra Winger) is very close to her friend Patsy (Lisa Hart Carroll), apparently in a romantic sense; but both plan to marry men and to have babies.

Aurora doesn’t approve of Flap, and feels that the marriage will be a disaster; she is quite possessive as a mother, and phones Emma every morning. She’s horrified when she learns she’s going to be a grandmother...

It’s entirely a character-based film spanning three decades, although the majority of the action (such as it is) takes place after Emma and Flap are married. Aurora has a string of devoted admirers, including her next-door-neighbour, a very sleazy former astronaut called Garrett (Jack Nicholson) and also Vernon (Danny deVito) who seems to be there purely for the humour he’s able to inject into what’s sometimes quite a poignant story.

There are some amusing scenes and some clever dialogue; there are also many different demonstrations of family dynamics, and the difficulties of communication between men and women, and between the generations. There’s a very sad ending to the film which we had both entirely forgotten about, and some interactions that I found quite moving.

The whole was beautifully done. I was totally caught up in the story and it didn’t feel as if it were too long at all. I almost wish it could have lasted longer. The cast members were all perfect in their roles and the pace was just right for a gentle character-based film.

The UK rating is 12A which I think is about right. There’s nothing explicit but quite a few implicit references and scenes. The bad language is mostly mild but there are some ‘strong’ words used, and the storyline is not one to appeal to children or even younger teens.

Highly recommended to all who like this genre.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

As Good As It Gets (Jack Nicholson)

(Amazon UK link)

This is another of those films that was recommended to me by Amazon based on my previous viewing preferences. It sounded intriguing so I put it on my wishlist, and was given it for Christmas. We decided to watch it last night.

‘As good as it gets’ stars Jack Nicholson as the obsessive-compulsive Melvin. He isn’t just paranoid about germs and cracks in the roads; he is an aggressively unpleasant and bigoted man who is rude to - and about - everyone he comes across. However, and rather bizarrely, he is also a highly successful romantic novelist.

One of his neighbours (Greg Kinnear) is an artist with a dog whom Melvin particularly dislikes. However after a very unpleasant incident, Melvin finds himself looking after the dog… and slowly a slightly more human side emerges. I found Melvin decidedly annoying at first: not for his OCD but for his extreme rudeness, and never really warmed to him.

The storyline is all rather unlikely, involving a waitress (Helen Hunt) in a restaurant who tolerates Melvin’s strange quirks. Minor characters include a sick child, a flamboyant agent, a somewhat clingy (though helpful) mother, and a friendly doctor. They are all somewhat caricatured, which made it easy to remember who was whom.

The film was made in 1997 so it’s inevitably somewhat dated - the old-fashioned telephones are a giveaway clue. Moreover, some of the racist, homophobic and other similarly bigoted lines, while presumably meant to be funny, are a bit shocking; as are the cheers when someone is thrown out of a restaurant.

Still, there’s a little slapstick humour and some nicely done asides that work well. Overall it’s quite a light-hearted film despite the one scene of violence and some quite serious issues. It’s very well made, and while I found it hard to see any chemistry between the two main characters, it was overall an enjoyable film. Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear are both excellent, but I never entirely believed in Jack Nicholson, even though he delivers some of the best lines (and won an Oscar for his role).

The rating is 15 which I would say is right: while there are no extreme scenes of intimacy or overt nudity, there’s a great deal that’s implied, and a lot of suggestive (and indeed overt) dialogue. There is one violent scene and also a few instances of ‘strong’ language. In the United States the rating is PG-13, which surprised me, as their censors are usually stricter than those in the UK.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews<

Terms of Endearment (Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger)

(Amazon UK link)

I knew that 'Terms of Endearment' was a classic film from the 1980s, and something of a weepy; but probably would never have bought it, had I not spotted it on a church bookstall for a euro.

When we sat down to watch it, we were not entirely sure what to expect. Shirley MacLaine stars brilliantly as Aurora, an over-protective mother who is widowed at a young age, so brings up her daughter Emma (Debra Winger) as a single parent. They are very close during Emma's childhood, but as she grows up, she needs to exert her independence. Emma and Aurora find themselves clashing, particularly - early in the film - over Emma's wedding.

The film spans three decades of their relationship, although it mostly takes place during Emma's adult years. It demonstrates their very different personalities and responses to people, with superb characterisation. Aurora is outgoing and somewhat brash, while Emma is more gentle and insightful. We see them not just with each other, but with friends and lovers - there are some amusing scenes with Aurora's astronaut neighbour, played wonderfully by Jack Nicholson, as well as more poignant ones.

I found myself completely captivated by the story; it was beautifully done, with some deeply emotional scenes as well as plenty of light humour. I thought it excellent in showing how people express their love in such different ways, and how - in the end - nobody can protect their offspring forever.

Definitely recommended. Rated 15 in the UK, probably due to sexual references and some very strong language in a few places, but - oddly - only PG in the USA.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews, 7th November 2011