Break Up

Nothing great here but a nicely acted story about an abused deaf wife (Fonda) of a small time crook (Bochner)who gets involved with one of her husband's plans and his mistress. Sutherland and Weber are cops drawn into what turns out to be a unmysterious murder investigation and the story just flows along.

Not much director Paul Marcus could do with an inane story line and some of the worse acting jobs ever in a film. I continue to be amazed and amused at why Bridget Fonda continues to work in films. Is it the Fonda name that keeps her working? In this one she shows the gamut of emotions from 0-1. Deadpan expressions, lack of any acting style, I think she thinks being a deaf mute means a mute performance. Worst acting award continues to go to this no-talent actress. And right beside her is another inept actress, Penelope Ann Miller. Haven't seen her do anything interesting yet on film. Why does she continue to get cast? Kiefer Sutherland, whom I admire, gets nothing worthwhile in this flick. What a waste. He tries. And Steven Weber, whom I admired greatly in JEFFREY, gets dumped on in this one. Another waste of a good talent. However, I did like the work of Hart Bochner, whom I have never seen before. He gives an interesting performance as the abusive murderous husband. And I liked the dog, too!

Worse than mediocre thriller about an abused wife who goes on the lam after she is linked circumstantially to the death of her husband and sister. Determined to prove that her husband is alive she follows leads across the state, her peril increasing at each stop. Chasing after her are the traditional 'good-cop' and 'bad-cop' pair of partners. One is convinced of her innocence the other more interested in closing the case and getting home. This pair is often able to corner their suspect but never quite to capture her. All the main players meet up in a remote town in the desert and the truth begins to unfold with deadly consequences for some.

Wow! This was a bad movie. The lead acted as if she was tranquilized, The cops couldn't find a suspect if he or she is in the police station (this happens twice) and everyone else is as one-dimensional as can be. Avoid this one at all costs.

Fonda proves to be amazingly subtle and focused in her role as an abused deaf wife. The mood and tone of this film was compelling and unique, and though the story itself was unoriginal and at times contrived, I found myself totally drawn into the characters and style of the picture as a whole.

At every plot point, the story worked only if you assumed that the people involved were dumb. Sutherland and Fonda, two pretty decent actors, must have really needed the work at the time to put their names on this one.

If for some reason choose to see the bow-wow anyway, I won't spoil it for you, but I'd strongly advise disconnecting your brain, as the plot inconsistencies might cause neural damage if you remain aware enough to start noting them.

We signed this out of the library and didn't pay a cent for using it, and it was _still_ a waste of time.