Happy Birthday, Gemini

Happy Birthday Gemini is a seriously flawed screenplay based on a respected stage play.

Madeline Kahn proved me wrong. I've always believed she could do ANYTHING and I would love her in it. Here, her Bunny Weinberger is so one-dimensional, vulgar and loud it's nearly drowns out completely the rest of an almost gentle madcap comedy and she almost single handedly sinks the entire proceedings. Kahn plays what could have been a complex portrayal as a one note song pushing the contours of the film out of shape, as though she's playing the Tuba in a string quartet. With little differentiation between moments played as bombed out of her mind or just out of her mind it's difficult to find one's way to Bunny. But, Kahn being Kahn, there are moments where she can't help but sparkle, e.g., her scene where she describes her faded youth and the current color and state of her hair "hepatitis." I couldn't help but think of the Recognition Scene from Strauss's opera "Elektra" this scene, one of the scripts most poignant, with Robert Viharo, played out.

Oddly, while the adult roles in this screen adaptation all have an over-the-top wildness, pronouncing their lines with a stage-like manner, the kids - Alan Rosenberg, Sarah Holcomb and David Marshall Grant - are absolutely wonderful. Each member of this trio captures perfectly the balance between naivete of youth, budding pretentiousness of the know-it-all college students, and the self doubt and fears of young adulthood, and awareness of budding sexuality.

While some scenes feel false there are enough moments that ring with a tenderness belying and overcoming the overwacky comic proceedings. These moments add nuance, balance and order. A terribly flawed, at times very funny and ultimately touching movie.

This film was groundbreaking in 1980, it's a poignant story about love and acceptance told through laughter. This is the film version of "Gemini" which ran on Broadway in the late 1970's. The cast is dynamic, with Madeline Kahn in an astounding performance as Bunny. Rita Moreno is also hilarious playing Italian. The characters are colorful or stereotypes, or both. Anyone who has ever brought home friends and cringed around their families will relate, but also to the love and support that family can give. A feel good movie with some memorable lines and a really sweet soul.

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Happy Birthday, Gemini is by far a great comedy/drama, but it has some very funny moments. Based on the off-Broadway smash of the 1970's, it loses its magic on the big screen. Robert Viharo, Alan Rosenberg, David Marshall Grant, Timothy Jenkins and Sarah Holcomb are all mostly unknowns and the real stars are the legendary ladies Rita Moreno and Madeline Kahn in her first and last top billed role. She gives an over the top hysterically funny and sad performance. If this film had had a better director it could have been a much better film. I wish it could be released on DVD being it 25 years since its theatrical release. I remember seeing it in 1980 and it was out one week and gone the next. It is sure worth a look. It drags at times I will admit, but to see the 2 leading ladies together is a real treat.

Judith and Randy Hastings are siblings headed to South Philadelphia for Francis Geminiani's 21st birthday. Judith has a crush on Francis. Only he reveals that he thinks he's gay.

It's an indie comedy based on a play. Lead actress Sarah Holcomb had a short 4-movie career with two of the greatest comedies ever. This is not one of those iconic movies. This is a low budget indie. The story is a bit scattered. There are big names here. They are the reasons for my interest, but they can't save this. Madeline Kahn is going all out. The second half is basically her movie. It's hard to wrap my arms around all these characters. I just don't care about some of these people.

This play had significant personal meaning for me in the early 80s and I only recently found a copy of this film adaptation. Like many stage comedies, the translation to film falls flat in most scenes partly due to the absence of theatrical elements (including the audience) but the biggest problem with this version is the casting. With ethnicity at the core of much of the humor, it was less than convincing to have Rita Moreno as an Italian widow, Madeline Kahn as an Irish floozy, and other characters trying to "play" an ethnicity that was not natural for them. But I really liked the ending on this filmed version, and the scene between Francis and his father at the end was very real and touching making this a nice "coming out" film for the whole family.