| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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A Princess of a Film
by michael h (movies profile)
Mar 15, 2007
Yeah, I like Streisand a lot. She's sexy and vibrant and looks incredibly young for her age, always. She also gives intelligent performances, always playing a good woman who has few flaws, except that she wants to be loved, a lot. This film is NOT hers though-- it belongs to Nolte and Nelligan, who plays his mother superbly, as a young and an older mother obsessed with status. And this is not a musical. Streisand doesn't sing one song, in case you're afraid of that.
The story is taken from the best selling novel, with a screenplay by the same author, Pat Conroy, who had to omit quite a bit of it to get it down to less than 3 hours. Fans of the novel could not be pleased because there is no way the entire book could have been filmed for the big screen. What is left is strong, emotional and beautiful to watch. The soundtrack itself is a charmer, as is the photography. It's spellbinding, really.
Streisand plays Nolte's sister's psychiatrist whom he visits in New York to discuss her attempted suicide. The entire film's quest is the cause of the near tragedy, which is a horror in itself. Streisand is good, really good, and Nolte is superb, directed by Streisand who draws out a flawless performance from him as well as the rest of the cast, especially Kate Nelligan, who is heartbreaking as the mother.
I have watched this film a dozen times since 1991 when it was made, and each time I find something good in it. It's a classic tale of salvation through truth and hope. There's romance also, between the two stars, whose characters are already married--they fall in lust accidentally (it's the movies!), and through it they find redemption of a kind. It's sad, melancholy and fun to watch. The major criticisms focus on the romance between the doctor and the patient's brother, which is not unethical, even if people swear it is. It's reality--Nolte's character is NOT her patient.
The only flaw is a montage, romantic scene that is rather long and embarrassing showing Streisand's pert rear end (again--clothed), as if her fans (and herself) need to be reminded that she's still gorgeous. She sits on Nolte's lap as he rocks her in a rocking chair--it's a bit much. The rest of the movie is psycho-melodrama at its most entertaining. Enjoy! |
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