Nouveau départ

The writer and director, Alan Alda (who also stars, sporting an unflattering haircut), enters Woody Allen territory here, but the result is unfortunately bland and forgettable. He seems to know all the right moves and maintains an agreeable tone, but there isn't enough wit in the lines, or enough laughs, or enough insights into the characters. Ann-Margret does look sensational, however. (**)

I would like to indicate that the name of the teacher listed in the credits is incorrect. The deaf education teacher in the scene where Ann Margret's character has gone back to school is my sister, Debbie Mabon-McIntosh. At the time, Debbie was teaching in Toronto at a school for the deaf, and the school was approached for a female teacher, approximately age 28, to give a brief lesson in sign language for the scene, which was filmed in Toronto. I'd like to see Debbie's name appear in the credits, largely because she passed away of ovarian cancer in June 1993, and her daughters (naw age 17 and 16)would like to see their mother's name in the credits. They have a great photo of Debbie with Alan Alda.

This is what I call a warm fuzzy. It shows a mix of people living this thing called life in a haphazard and enjoyable way. The combo of Alda and Linden had me laughing out of my chair. They remind me of so many people we all know. Ann Margaret is a knockout and Veronica Hamel brings hill street to medicine. This is MY favorite Alda movie and made me respect him as an actor who can play somebody other than Hawkeye. In my humble opinion this was Linden's best work. to use a quote from elsewhere "Alda's purpose is to show us fairly typical people going through fairly typical things. They live, we watch. On that voyeuristic level, the movie works." Please powers that be release this on DVD or show it on HBO high def .

SUMMARY- NOT A CLASSIC JUST A WARM FUZZY FEEL GOOD.

Alan Alda worked himself away from the popular TV series "M*A*S*H" cautiously and nimbly, first as an actor in "Same Time, Next Year" and "California Suite", then as an actor and writer with "The Seduction of Joe Tynan", and eventually with his smoothest film to date, "The Four Seasons", where he served as writer/director/star. Unfortunately, "A New Life"--which Alda wrote, directed, and stars in--takes him right back to TV, what with a sitcom script and trite characters. Alda and Ann-Margret are New York marrieds who decide to divorce and seek out other partners, finding themselves out of step with the modern singles-scene. Ann-Margret (top-heavy with a whopper crop of hair) is an attractive presence, and it seems natural for her to be drawn to John Shea (who could be Alda's younger brother)' however, the other players look lost in their roles, and Alda as a writer has only obvious points to make. It's all a comedic sham: plastic, unrealistic and mediocre. *1/2 from ****