Marsha Mason is gorgeous if not seriously disturbed in this 1973 film set in the city of my birth...Seattle. The story is about a sailor played by James Caan who gets Cinderella Liberty Leave while he is in port in Seattle for medical reasons. There he stumbles upon a bar where he meets Maggie Paul who is a bit of a hustler making money off of sex and sailors. He goes home with her only to discover she has a son Doug (Douglas MacArthur) who is of mixed race and a bit of a handful. The house had clear signs of poverty...no food and poor Dougie's teeth are in such bad shape that he won't smile or eat sugar.
John Baggs, Jr. (James Caan) starts hanging out with Maggie and Dougie...slowly making their lives better in all sorts of ways. The relationship that builds between John and Dougie is the best part of the story and make this more heartwarming than you would expect from just the thumbnail details.
This is a tough film to watch, with some great shots from my home town in the 1970's and not one that I would recommend to just anyone, but if you are a fan of films from the 70's.... I highly recommend this film. It is a time capsule in and of itself.
(There are also some interesting bits about the navy that were very educational.)
John Baggs, Jr. (James Caan) starts hanging out with Maggie and Dougie...slowly making their lives better in all sorts of ways. The relationship that builds between John and Dougie is the best part of the story and make this more heartwarming than you would expect from just the thumbnail details.
This is a tough film to watch, with some great shots from my home town in the 1970's and not one that I would recommend to just anyone, but if you are a fan of films from the 70's.... I highly recommend this film. It is a time capsule in and of itself.
(There are also some interesting bits about the navy that were very educational.)