Reviens Jimmy Dean, reviens

Character studies don't come any better than this offbeat look at small-town self-delusion. Robert Altman, best known for sweeping epics like Nashville, shows us that even on a smaller physical scale he is an original, highly inventive director. The low-budget production uses 16-millimeter photography and a single set to create a desolate, lonely atmosphere that mirrors the characters' hidden emotional turmoil. Although we only glimpse a tiny portion through the store window, we get a perfect feel for the dusty isolation of dying McCarthy, Texas. Five and Dime also contains hidden elements of symbolism that you may not notice at first but add another layer to the brilliance of the film.

Still, as with any play, it's all about the acting. And here, the acting is impeccable, especially that of top-billed stars Sandy Dennis, Cher, and Karen Black. Dennis is Mona, the stubbornly (and dangerously) romantic leader of the Disciples; Cher is Sissy, the blowsy sex symbol with a painful secret; and Black is Joanne, a mysterious "stranger" who cracks everyone's delusions. All three are terrific and should have received more recognition for their roles herein. Great support is provided by the Marta Heflin, the delightful Kathy Bates, and Sudie Bond as the shrill, bigoted owner of the Woolworth's.

This is not a film for everyone. There is no action, by the traditional definition. But this examination fantasy and reality, how life is and how we would like it to be, is a haunting exercise in acting, direction, and emotional involvement.

I remember when this film came out... I was an Altman fan then but I could never convince any of my friends to go see this with me (I was in high school at the time). Twenty years later I finally catch it on Bravo, and found it well worth the wait (and boy am I glad I popped a tape in to record it).

The acting in this film is superb, as is the direction (as you'd expect). Altman has taken a stage play that takes place on a single set and brought it to the screen in a way that manages to preserve the theatrical ideosyncracies (e.g., the actresses don't change their appearance, or even their outfits in some cases, in flashbacks to twenty years earlier) while still being masterfully "cinematic" in the way Altman composes his images.

If anything, the Achilles' heel of this movie is its script, which appears to be taken verbatim from the original stage play. There were times, especially towards the beginning of the movie, when it seemed somewhat awkward, but in a way that probably wouldn't seem as out-of-place in a play. I guess that's why they call it "stagy". But still, it's a minor complaint, and the great acting and compelling story more than make up for it. Overall I give this movie an 8/10.

I see something different every time I see this movie. What starts out seeming to be a very simplistic movie about James Dean fans is really more about what we believe in and how difficult it sometimes is to get beyond "false fronts".

Cher is excellent and the rest of the cast do a credible job of allowing us to see different viewpoints through different characters. Marta Heflin as Edna Louise probably has the most to offer in the way of "the moral to the story". Sudie Bond as Juanita has some of the best lines delivered in an excellent "why me" voice.

Things are not the way they seem in any of the characters lives with one exception.

Don't just watch this movie once. Watch it again and again and pick up something more each time.

This film isn't mentioned very much today, nor was it talked about very much when it was first released, but the picture has been christened a classic among Robert Altman fans, and it's easy to see why. This is one of the director's most stunning achievements. It's not that Ed Graczyk's script is anything special. It isn't. But Altman is a master of storytelling. It doesn't matter how derivative the project he's given is. When he gives a project everything he's got, it results in something very special. That is the case with Five and Dime. Graczyk's story takes place in a five and dime store located in a small Texas town where a group of women reunite for the twentieth anniversary of James Dean's death. The event turns out to be a very painful one, as each woman is forced to reveal the skeletons in her closet. The film was originally a stage play, and was also directed by Altman. As a play, it just didn't wash, but as a film, it is a masterpiece. Again, this has much to do with Altman's mastery of storytelling. His amazing ability to make something out of virtually nothing. But much of the credit also must go to the solid female ensemble which includes Sandy Dennis, Karen Black, Kathy Bates, Marta Heflin, Sudie Bond and Cher. In her first real crack at serious acting, Cher is thoroughly impressive. She has several strongly emotional scenes with Sandy Dennis and Karen Black(two of the most remarkable actresses to grace the New York Stage and Hollywood screen), and Miss Cher holds her own in every last one of them. A classic or not, this is an unforgettable, often moving motion picture experience. It's almost impossible to walk away from this film without feeling something. Highly recommended.

I was very glad to have watched this movie. It was both interesting, and compelling. The acting was superb, by Cher, Sudie Bond, Kathy Bates, and especially, Sandy Dennis. Karen Black was sensational in her role. What a great cast! And the story itself was great, also.