In trying to find a half-decent romantic film to see, I came upon this one. Never heard of the director, but seeing that both Michelle Pfeiffer Robert Redford are in it, I thought it couldn't be too bad. Boy was I wrong.
I don't even know where to start from because everything sucked, but will try anyway: - The script sucked in every way imaginable. Story that moves by force, where everything happens in a poorly constructed dialogue (nothing is shown, we are told what to think) and where occasional emotional outbursts happen on cue because it's an end of an act... People fall in love, not because they look like they are in love, but because they say so. If they didn't say it I would not know it to be honest. Even when they are kissing, I didn't believe it. It was not so much the acting, but simply the story that managed to leave me entirely disinterested. Dialogues were forced, with plenty of TV network jargon and pretentious coolness to it, but with zero substance, or motivation or even meaning.
And then there is the awful ending which I will not disclose here as it would be spoilers, but will just say that I almost threw things at the TV screen. I guess the writer/ director noticed that film was a flat-liner so they forced an emotional ending. Emotional it was, but in the "WTF?" way.
All in all, this film is a good study in "how to not make a movie". Or better yet: how not to write a film, how not to direct it, and how not to act in a leading role. Garbage all around. Pure and simple.
I don't even know where to start from because everything sucked, but will try anyway: - The script sucked in every way imaginable. Story that moves by force, where everything happens in a poorly constructed dialogue (nothing is shown, we are told what to think) and where occasional emotional outbursts happen on cue because it's an end of an act... People fall in love, not because they look like they are in love, but because they say so. If they didn't say it I would not know it to be honest. Even when they are kissing, I didn't believe it. It was not so much the acting, but simply the story that managed to leave me entirely disinterested. Dialogues were forced, with plenty of TV network jargon and pretentious coolness to it, but with zero substance, or motivation or even meaning.
- Such a horrible script cannot inspire even the best of actors to perform. Not a single scene has real motivation behind it. Just out of the blue, someone will get upset or angry, or they will say they are in love, or they will show hatred for someone. But it all stinks of "I don't know why, but all the books on screen writing say I should have a conflict by this page, so..." To Robert Redford's credit, he manages to be good, all things considered. I love Michelle Pfeiffer, but could hardly watch her in this train wreck. Her good looks did nothing to help the situation. Her performance was the worst ever of all her movies I've seen (and I've seen most of them).
- Then there is the terrible story which is moving by force. A trailer trash (Pfeiffer) who looks nothing like trailer trash, comes to Miami to become a TV anchor. She sucks, but they hire her. She sucks some more at her work, but they promote her. Just like that. She sucks even more, and she gets an even better offer. Then she gets stuck in a jail when a riot brakes out, and she gives an uninspired report from that chaos, and gets an even better job. Robert Redford is madly in love with her, for no good reason, except that maybe he has a thing for untalented trailer trash.
And then there is the awful ending which I will not disclose here as it would be spoilers, but will just say that I almost threw things at the TV screen. I guess the writer/ director noticed that film was a flat-liner so they forced an emotional ending. Emotional it was, but in the "WTF?" way.
All in all, this film is a good study in "how to not make a movie". Or better yet: how not to write a film, how not to direct it, and how not to act in a leading role. Garbage all around. Pure and simple.