Un fils pour l'été

I'm a big fan of Jack Lemmon's dramatic roles but not this one. The movie is about Lemmon and his estranged son played by Robby Benson, who has a deep hatred for his father. After learning Lemmon is dying, Benson tries to make thing right with his father. 125 minutes of Benson talking about how bad of a father Lemmon was, combined with Lemmon's corny jokes, does not not equal a good movie

I saw Tribute back when it first came out and i found it to be a great movie for me. I was only 22 then, but all my friends told me that i was very much like Scottie Templeton. He was so outgoing and wanted everyone to like him almost too much. But as the movie went on it became sadly obvious that he forgot to get his priorities straight. His family. Now that i am almost 50 (his age), i also have a son who is so much different to me. Just like Judd (Robbie Benson) in the movie. I can relate to both of their roles now even more as my son is very much like Judd. The thing that i got out of this movie was that i was able to make my son my first priority, no matter how different he may be to me. My favourite line was when Jack Lemmon was told in a nice way that "he treats everyone the same, no matter if you are a hooker or family'....that was it for me. Thanks Mr Lemmon and Mr. Benson for letting me better understand who i am today!!

"Tribute" is a wonderful tear-jerker about a father and his estranged son. Benson is good, though his character may be a bit over-the-top cynical. But as usual, Jack Lemmon provides a textbook example of acting without seeming like he's acting, the mark of a great performer.

Jack Lemmon recreates his Tony-nominated stage role playing a Broadway press agent who has always shied away from adult responsibilities, treating everyone--from doormen to movie stars--like the life of the party. This devil-may-care approach to living has naturally alienated Lemmon's tightly-wound son, a begrudging twenty-year-old who doesn't share his father's sense of humor. Bernard Slade adapted his play for the screen, and he's positively shameless while decorating the narrative with pure-hearted friends and doctors, a gold-plated prostitute (who receives her own tribute from a lifetime of johns at Joe Allen!), an adoring ex-wife, and Kim Cattrall as a frisky young thing who flits from father to son as if she's in the running for the prostitute's job. None of this makes much emotional or logical sense--and little of it amounts to anything substantial by the end--although Lemmon's manic, zinger-filled performance gooses the movie and brings it to a near-boil. As the embittered son, Robby Benson tries hard to bring off a dim role; his occasional success here is miraculous considering Slade never gives him a strong line of dialogue. Lemmon is reunited with his "Days of Wine and Roses" co-star Lee Remick, and they have a built-in rapport that is wonderful to see...however Jack is really the whole picture. Slade has manufactured the proceedings to slant completely in the star's favor, showing off his sass and pathos, and as a one-man vehicle for the talented actor it obviously has some worth. **1/2 from ****

"Tribute" is a film about dying and regrets...much like "Terms of Endearment". I mention this because if you are depressed, you might want to see this film some other time.

When the story begins, Scottie (Jack Lemmon) is in the hospital for tests and learns that he's dying. Instead of remaining at the hospital and receiving treatment to prolong his life, Scottie leaves. After all, he's not good at facing problems and his estranged son is coming for a visit. And, through the course of the story, you see that Scottie is incredibly superficial and immature....and always jokes about everything...even his own imminent demise. Not surprisingly, a lifetime of this sort of behavior by Scottie makes it tough for his son (Robbie Benson) to care. In fact, in many ways the son hates his father.

The acting in this film is exceptional...and it's not surprising Lemmon received an Oscar nomination for playing the lead. What is surprising is that the Hollywood producers actually chose Lemmon for the role, as too often hit Broadway plays are made into films...with an entirely different cast. Here, however, Lemmon plays the role he originated on Broadway and it's nice to see that they didn't recast this lead.

So is it any good? Yes...very good. It's also not particularly pleasant, as you would expect, and might churn up some memories in some viewers who have parents who are similar to Scottie.