Don't EVER listen to the critics. Despite that fact that Alan K Pakula directed some of my favorite films of all time ('Klute,' 'The Parallax View,' 'All the President's Men'), I failed to see one of his best and most personal films for forty years simply because the critics disuaded me. Turns out, this film is just as good as any of the other great films he directed.
I won't go into the story because if you're reading this you already probably know something about it. What I will say is that the film is full of real moments, well observed. The film keeps you guessing which way it will go throughout and it's totally believable and laid out with measure, confidence and aplomb.
Jeff Bridges is the lead and he's never given a bad performance and here is no exception. Alice Krige is the smart and sexy woman he's in love with. But it is three actresses (Farrah Fawcett, Linda Lavin snd Frances Sterhagen) that really shine and Pakula shines, too, in the way he uses each of them. Each, in their way, gives what I would call the epitome of what I think of when I think Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Why was the film not successful? Perhaps it seemed too upscale, too Patrician. The film features a good deal of symphony and jazz music and, since it all happens in New York, perhaps the film seemed too much like a Woody Allen without the belly laughs. It did, most assuredly, have a horrible ad campaign.
Either way, judge for yourself. I really loved it and could've missed out if I hadn't taken the chance.
