ROVIN' AND RAVIN' WITH MIKE
Copyright © 2000 by Michael Segers, All rights reserved
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Dear Hearts and Gentle Codgers
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| Return to Me | Where the Money Is | Where the Heart Is |
Although
I’ve been roving to the megaplex as regularly as usual, I haven’t been
raving as much. So, this time, I want to catch you up with three gentle little
films that have eased into the theaters lately: Return to Me, Where
the Money Is, and Where the Heart Is. I don’t think there is anything here that you’ll hear
about at the awards ceremonies or anything that will make much of an impression
on you.
If you want a film that you don’t have to fight with or think about too much—except, gee, why don’t they make more films like this anymore?—you’ll find something worth your hard-earned dollars here. These films may not have a long run, since they are short on sex, violence, and bad language, and the actors and actresses wear too many clothes.
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Return To Me
You’ve
probably heard the basic story of this film already (although the previews
don’t give it all away): Elizabeth (Joely Richardson) and Bob (David Duchovny)
are very happily married. As Grace (Minnie Driver) is dying of heart disease, Elizabeth dies in an accident, and Elizabeth’s
heart is transplanted into Grace. About a year later, Bob and Grace meet,
and…. Actually, that rather gruesome melodrama is not what this film is all
about. This film is very much about, you should pardon the expression, heart.
The film’s own heart keeps beating steadily, keeping the level of interest up
for its almost two hour run.
A
lot of that heart comes from Driver, no surprise there, and Duchovny, who is
quite different from the cold fish or Fox that he plays on The X Files. They
have chemistry to spare, and they make us genuinely like the couple. More heart
comes from the scenes in the Italian/Irish restaurant. Nope, you don’t get
corned beef pasta, but it wouldn’t be a surprise. Robert Loggia, Carroll O’Connor and their
good old boys of various ethnicities add a generous portion of ham to the menu
as well. Rounding out Grace’s very well-rounded world, perhaps the fourth
chamber of this heart, is the relationship of Grace’s friends, Joe (James
Belushi) and Megan (Bonnie Hunt). There is a sweetness, a gentleness, an outright innocence about this film that is a pleasant surprise. Grace is blessed with supportive circles of friends and family, of neighborhood and familiar places and faces, and we just don’t see much friendship on film anymore. Although I imagine that it will not fare well with many critics, it is a comfortable, almost cozy film that I am not very excited about, but which I did enjoy, with a noble thought or two for my heart. |
Where the
Money Is
Well,
my money is on this gentle little film’s box office failure, unfortunately. It
is, like Return to Me, a distinctly old-fashioned film. Paul Newman and
Linda Fiorentino click like so many of the great romantic couples in comedies of the
past, but fortunately, there is no transgenerational hanky-panky here. In fact,
it recalls the kind of friendship, pal-ship, that was a standard in the days
before the freedom to depict sexual scenes became a requirement to have folks
jumping into bed together instead of shaking hands.
Like
Return to Me, again, there is a certain bit of story we have to get out
of the way, and I’m not giving anything away here. Bank robber Henry Manning
is in prison, where he suffers a stroke. He is transferred to a nursing home,
where he appears to be in a vegetative state until nursing attendant Carol Ann
McKay suspects that he is not in the condition he appears to be. Soon, she
persuades him to pull off one more, one last robbery. It’s far-fetched, but again as in Return to Me, the richness of the performances and the complex give-and-take of interpersonal chemistry fill out any holes that the script may have. Even at less than an hour and a half, there are some holes and even some moments that drag, but Where the Money Is is a film, ultimately, that works and works well, and I’m so glad it does. It’s one of those films that I find myself wanting to succeed.
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Where the Heart Is
Like
the others in this film-ucopia, Where the Heart Is starts with a rather
contrived story that gives the main character a chance to develop. In the case
of Novalee Nation (Natalie Portman), pregnant teenager abandoned in a Wal-Mart parking lot, it is
a chance not only to develop but also to grow up. Lacking Grace’s circles of
support, she discovers those circles. She lives in the Wal-Mart, keeping tabs on
what she uses, and gives birth to "the Wal-Mart" baby, becoming an
instant celebrity herself. We’ve all been promised fifteen minutes of fame;
how we attain it is up to us, I suppose.
Like
the other films reviewed here, this one depends upon a powerful performance,
that of Natalie Portman, who grows up right before our eyes. The dialogue is
generally on target, although the character and words of Sister Husband (Stockard
Channing) eventually become tiresome. There is a large cast, most of whom I am not
listing, because it is not an ensemble cast so much as a supporting cast, giving
Portman herself the support that her character receives.
All three of these films continue the recent spate of feel-good films, providing a showcase for women. But this film is too crowded. There are too many bit parts that seem like rejects from a Flannery O’Connor tale, and there is no consistency in tone, rhythm, or emotion. I’ve been looking at links among these three films, but this one could have taken some pointers from the other two, with their spare, clean lines. I’m not as taken with this film as with the others.
Keep your feet dry, and your heart full of noble thoughts. Keep yourself open for the simple pleasures of simple films. Just make sure you know where your heart ends up.