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"Love Field" was a film that came and went without much fanfare. It was shown on cable recently, so we decided to take a chance with it. Jonathan Kaplan makes an impression with his unusual take on the subject of the race relations in the United States of the early 60s that pays a great deal of respect to the era in which it takes place. The film shows how things were in this country in the years where segregation was still enforced in the land.

If you haven't watched the movie, please stop reading now.

Lurene, the young woman at the center of the story was in awe of Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy. The former first lady had such magnetic quality and charisma that it was easy to see why she was so admired and imitated by all women in America in the early 60s. After all, Mrs. Kennedy was royalty in a country that supposedly has no class differences. Jackie's sense of style was imitated by most women; after all, she was an elegant, vibrant and youthful woman who all wanted to adore.

The story presents a situation that rings false from the beginning. Lurene was only a step above of what would be considered white trash, therefore, her relationship with Paul Cater and Jonell, is hard to believe because of the woman's background. Lurene is kind hearted, but one wonders to what extend would someone in her station in life would have done in a real situation like the director presents in the picture.

As far as what we watch in the film, making allowances for Lurene's open mind and understanding about segregation and discrimination, the movie is easy to watch. In pairing Michelle Pfeiffer with a handsome Dennis Haysbert, who has already been seen in a similar role in "Far from Heaven", one can see why these two lost souls were attracted to one another. We can understand Lurene's sense of decency, as well as Paul's falling for Lurene when reason and logic would tell him to stay away from this white woman. Even in the big Northern cities where racial discrimination was not as blatant as in the deep South, integrated couples were a rarity in the early 60s.

Michelle Pfeiffer makes a compelling Lurene, the girl who is a decent human being. This role is a stretch for Ms. Pfeiffer, an actress not associated with dramatic parts that make such demands on her. Dennis Haysbert is good as the troubled Paul, a man that only wants to do his best for this daughter he is bringing back to Philadelphia. Stephanie McFadden is sweet as the young girl who can't comprehend what's going on around her. Finally, Louise Latham, as Mrs. Enright, is the only one that shows any decency to the situation in which she gets involved against her will.

While the movie doesn't break any grounds in racial relations, at least it has the courage to show how wrong segregation was and how prevalent it was in the United States.

The actors are better than the story.

Set against the Kennedy assassination, the plot here deals with a rather simple-minded woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) from Dallas who is obsessed with the Kennedy family and especially Jackie. She's also unhappily married to a brutish guy (Brian Kerwin). She runs away from home and boards a bus to Washington to attend the Kennedy funeral.

Aboard the bus she chats with a black man (Dennis Haysbert) who is traveling with his small and oddly silent daughter. She never shuts up. He reluctantly responds to her endless chatter. The bus lumbers through racist America until there is an accident and the local cops start nosing around trying to get the details.

Right off they're suspicious of Haysbert and why he seems to be traveling with a white woman. To make natters worse, the ninny makes a phone calls when she discovers bruises on the child. That sets in motion a series of events with the travelers on the run from the cops.

While the man and woman learn things about themselves, their eyes are also opened to the realities of the American South in that pre-Civil Rights era.

The most annoying thing here, aside from the plot holes and implausibility of the story is the Pfeiffer character. If she has a Jackie obsession, why does she have platinum blonde hair a la Marilyn Monroe? She is a beautician after all. Seems like she'd had dyed her hair darker, not lighter.

Pfeiffer and Haysbert are good. Louise Latham is also good as the rural mother who takes them in while they are on the lam.

This movie is not only tells the story of the accidental connection of two people, one black and one white, who would probably have never met in their normal lives, it also presents a vivid portrait of the time in which they lived. Set against the background of the JFK assassination and the aftermath, the protagonists meet and help each other through turning points in their lives. At first wary of each other, they come to understand the forces which have shaped each other's personalities and then come to appreciate the humanity and longing they have in common. Segregation and prejudice on both sides are explored without preaching. Finally it ends if not happily at least on a note of hope.

Michelle Pfeiffer plays a middle-class 60s housewife who idolizes Jackie O. When JFK is assassinated, she leaves her husband and road trips to his funeral to show solidarity with her icon. Along the way she meets a black man (Dennis Haysbert) and his young daughter. She immediately befriends them but realizes they are hiding a secret. Soon she is swept up in their lives and finds herself on the run from the FBI.

This is the best performance I've ever seen by Pfeiffer. She is practically unrecognizable--her southern accent is perfect and her Jackie O-inspired look is classic. She adds a welcome dose of humor to a film that is often emotionally overwhelming. The movie alternates between adorable and disturbing, but never gets too extreme either way. The plot gets a bit contrived at times, but the movie serves to question the comfort of routine middle-class existence, so it works. I am surprised this is not a well-known film. It is one of the best ones I've seen from the early 90s.

My Rating: 8/10.

This little picture unexpectedly blew me away. Both Pfeiffer and Haysbert clearly gave it their all in these roles. This film deserves cult status -- don't sleep on it!