The Marriage Fool

We watched this the other night with a few glasses of wine and came away entertained and happy. Although the film may be typical of the type actors make when in their latter years, with Walter Matthau heading the cast it was always going to be above average. Great support from Carol Burnett as the new lady in his life and John Stamos as the hesitant son, both playing it with just enough without going over the top. I would never have known this was made as a TV movie if I hadn't read about it, it seems to have production values and talent way above the usual TV fare. One point - a number of rather crass paintings of clowns appear in the film and one of them looks just like Matthau's old partner Jack Lemmon, I wonder if this was deliberate? Recommended without hesitation.

Frank (Walter Matthau) has just lost his beloved wife of 40 years. His son Robert (John Stamos), always closer to his father than the other two sons, is there to help him through the hard moments. However, Robert is very distrustful of marriage and has remained a bachelor, despite having a way with the ladies. This changes when a beautiful woman is transferred to work in the same NY accounting firm as Robert. Susan (Teri Polo) has just been separated from her husband in Wisconsin but, nevertheless, responds to Robert's advances. At the same time, Frank goes to a Hawaiian-themed party for the over 60 crowd and meets a wonderful woman named Florence (Carol Burnett). Florence is such an attractive and nice lady that Frank, despite his initial hesitation, decides to get close to her. Robert is thrown for a loop, not only because of his own need for Susan, but because he thinks his father is rushing things. Can Robert allow Frank to live his own life? This is a lovely film, very honest and true to life. Matthau, in one of his last roles, is great as the widower trying to navigate in very strange waters. Burnett, too, gives a nice performance as a woman with a very big heart. As for Stamos and Polo, they are two very attractive people who give their characters the needed depth suitable for two souls who have been unlucky in love and are uncertain which way to turn. If you have lost a parent and are struggling with the idea of your mother or dad finding a new partner, this is definitely the film for you. It has some great messages about the brevity of life and the importance of living every day to the fullest. But, even if you are not dealing with the loss of a loved one, this movie is an entertaining couple of hours. Don't be foolish and pass this film by.

"The Marriage Fool" (also known as "Love After Death") is an excellent made for TV movie. Much of this is because it addresses an important topic that is seldom talked about...widowers remarrying. Often, their children react very badly to 'new mom' and do a lot to undermine these second marriages...and so it's nice to see this addressed here.

The story begins when Frank (Walter Matthau) is attending his wife's funeral. Soon after, his son, Robert (John Stamos) convinces him to get out and have fun...and Frank does that. In fact, he soon meets Florence (Carol Burnett) and after whirlwind courtship, they decide to get married...and Frank's kids are, at best, ambivalent towards this.

At the same time, Robert begins realizing that despite his looks and success on the job, he's lonely....and he has a phobia about commitment. So, the story is not about Frank's journey but Robert's.

This is a very sweet film and it's nice to see Matthau in his penultimate movie. The cast is quite good and while the story has no huge surprises, it's sweet and well worth seeing. And, I also noticed that Stamos is quite nice here...one of his better performances. Overall, a very enjoyable film which will likely leave you feeling happy.

The biggest surprise in this movie was an amazingly good performance by John Stamos. With 2 icons like Matthau and Burnett, you would expect that it would be their performances that would carry the load, but it is actually the relationship between Matthau and Stamos that is at the heart of this story. They have a wonderfully natural chemistry together, I'm betting that Stamos was in awe of the opportunity to work so closely with a master like Matthau and it was likely that closeness that drew out such a great dramatic performance by Stamos. Burnett is great as always, but her role is quite subdued and the real magic in this movie takes place in the exchanges between the 2 male leads. Terry Polo also gives a nice performance here. All in all this was a satisfying watch. A very simple story but acted with such a natural credibility by the ensemble cast and an intelligent script that it is elevated to being much better than average.

Check out that cast! The awesome walter matthau, carol burnett. After mom dies, the (fully grown, adult) kids don't approve of dad's new girlfriend. She's only been nice to them, but they still give her attitude. Dad and new the girlfriend make wedding plans. When (oldest son) Rob's girlfriend sees how he reacts, she realizes she needs a break from him. It's cute, but takes a while to get going. And that non-stop hallmark movie music! A little goes a long way. It's a pretty solid story about communication, but I probably wouldn't have been as interested if matthau and burnett weren't in it. It's okay. Directed by charlie matthau, walt's son. Based on the play by richard vetere. This was walter's second to last film. He and burnett must have enjoyed working together... they made three films !