A played-down, but still gritty and mostly honest look at how women 'survive' our male oriented, female knee-bending society. Gena Rowlands is the light in this film as the matriarch figure to 3 girls. Her own, Deby (Thurman) and Deby's best friend, Beth (Lewis) and her daughter, Amber. Gena finds love late in life only to discover she waited too long for Nick (played tenderly by Ben Gazarra), nice guy, Deby can't stand. (Read jealous) Beth becomes attracted to and sort of involved with the bartender at the local (read dead) bar. Deby picks up reluctant Rick at same bar and invents a possible future with him to all her girlfriends, whose constant pressure of questions concerning their imminent "engagement" threatens Deby's sanity and self esteem. It seems her Dad left her and her Mom early on and took with him her budding confidence. As the girls struggle with Life issues they discover their greatest strength lay in their own closeness, no matter how vulnerable that also makes them to each other.
Review of Hysterical Blindness
