Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert review four new movies. Two thumbs up for the engaging
Crossover Dreams (1985) about a salsa singer who wants mainstream success. Siskel's only complaint is that its theme of artistic integrity gets fuzzy at the end. Two thumbs down for the fantasy-comedy,
Maxie (1985) with Glenn Close. The critics were "stunned" by the boring premise of a 1920s flapper possessing a modern San Francisco woman and by its witless execution. Two thumbs up for Paul Schrader's "audacious"
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) about Yukio Mishima, the controversial Japanese author. It aims for greatness in a play-it-safe era of movie-making and achieves it. Two thumbs up for
Plenty (1985) with Meryl Streep as a WWII freedom fighter who can't adjust to peacetime. Siskel sees it as an indictment of British society; Ebert sees it as a fascinating character study.
—J. Spurlin