Les hommes de ma vie

It usually takes me two viewings of a film to decide whether I think it is a great film. The second that "Men Don't Leave" ended I knew it was a great film. It tells the story of a middle aged woman (Jessica Lange) who moves her two sons to Baltimore following the death of her husband. There she meets a quirky musician (Arliss Howard) and her older son starts dating an equally quirky x-ray technician (Joan Cusack). This film is by turns joyful and heartbreakingly sad and features sure-handed direction by Paul Brickman and a beautiful score by Thomas Newman who also scored "American Beauty". The performances are wonderful, most notably Jessica Lange's and Joan Cusack's. If you're looking for a wonderful family drama with comedic moments then "Men Don't Leave" is for you. One of the best films of the 1990's.

I am a longtime fan of Jessica Lange's, and a newfound fan of Arliss Howard's after viewing Men Don't Leave. A really good performance also by Chris O'Donnell and Joan Cusak. This is a true-to-life type of movie. It's Wow Factor isn't measured by action shots or stunts or explosions, but rather by the satisfaction and peace each character reaches by story's end.

It's your favorite shirt: not flashy, but comfortable and proven to make you feel good. Watch Men Don't Leave - it's a good little movie.

Widow with two growing sons must become her family's breadwinner, keeping everyone's spirits up while dating again for the first time in many years. It doesn't surprise me that people have to see this picture twice or more to get into the movie's grooves. The handling is very focused, the writing gets us from A to Z smoothly enough, but the tone of "Men Don't Leave" is quirky, to say the least. Sometimes I wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. At times it seems to go overboard, other times it hits a perfect note yet doesn't follow through. Still, the overall effect of this movie is genuinely pleasurable. It's not a big, chancy movie with issues, it's quiet and small and heartfelt. There are little scenes of emotion that well up into big hurts (and disappointments like the lottery family that just KILL us), and all the acting is so wonderful, particularly Jessica Lange (a shaky tower of strength). I loved it when the German woman gets Jessica to dance, or when she gets a nosebleed while kissing Arliss Howard for the first time, or throwing all her muffins out the window while feigning basketball moves. And what about Kathy Bates as the boss from Hell? It's an erratic film (with a puzzling title), yet I admired it greatly, and it has stuck with me over all these years. ***1/2 from ****

This film is certainly an exception. A remake from the French version "Hot Air Balloon", this film has many noteworthy aspects to it, including the excellent cast of Arliss Howard, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Lange's troubled son Chris O'Donnell.

Primarily Lange is a widower who has to sell her house and start over. She moves to a small apartment in Baltimore with her two children, who are not happy about it. She eventually finds work (there are some amusing scenes) for a catering company, owned by Kathy Bates (always a memorable character, in this case the tyrannical boss).

Joan Cusack also adds humor to the latter half, having met O'Donnell, she starts dating him, Lange at first over-protective, then gradually becomes friends with Cusack. Cusack, as a therapeutic gesture, takes her on a hot air balloon. A seemingly silly gesture, but a metaphor for starting over. Well-done and never depressing, an excellent film worth viewing. 9/10.

In Men Don't Leave, Jessica Lange has to cope when all three men in her life do just that. Her happy family is shattered when her husband dies in a tragic accident, and she's left alone to raise her two boys and manage expenses. I'm a big Jessica Lange fan, and she shines once again in what she does best: showing the audience she's about to crack without cracking. When other actresses fly off with their emotions, Jessica keeps hers contained with glistening eyes that show her turmoil.

In addition to another solid Jessica Lange performance, you'll be treated to two other benefits if you watch this movie. Men Don't Leave has an interesting, compelling, realistic story, and a wonderful supporting cast. Jessica's sons are Chris O'Donnell and Charlie Korsmo in their film debuts, and they both show different struggles as they flounder in their new life without a father. Charlie gets into trouble, and Chris tries his hand at being the man of the house with a young, pretty neighbor, Joan Cusack. Both boys show a remarkable confidence in front of the camera for their first film, and Chris shows acting talents I've never seen in his other movies.

Joan Cusack is sweet and sensitive, and it's clear she's trying to help with every line she delivers. Kathy Bates joins the cast as Jessica Lange's boss, and she's strong, magnetic, pretty, and energetic without becoming a caricature. Arliss Howard, a suitor, brings sensitivity to his role, giving the audience hope that there just might be one more nice guy out there in the world.

It's pretty obvious I recommend this movie. With great performances and a realistic slice-of-life story that doesn't feel forced, symbolic, or dated, this movie will continue to stand the test of time.