Hard Promises

"Hard Promises" is a bit like a doing a rural remake of "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" into which you incorporate the basic premise of "Sweet Home Alabama". While not in the same league as the former, it is considerably less offensive than the latter-which it may have inspired.

Billed as a romantic "comedy", the film contains little humor (unless you are still amused by small town stock characters) and nothing profound in the romance department. But like "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" it is about the interplay of love, freedom, and caring among people who have allowed a considerable distance to grow up between each other.

It features a nice performance by Sissy Spacek (who looks unexpectedly sexy and beautiful) and a nice portrayal of a charismatic character by William Peterson. Yet they are both upstaged by Olivia Burnette who plays the film's Francie character (handled so well by Peggy Ann Garner in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn").

Joey Coalter (Peterson) is an aimless free-spirit who neglects his wife and daughter while drifting around the country. Like Johnny in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" he is full of unfulfilled promises and pipe dreams. He returns on the eve of his wife Christine's (Spacek) wedding; having been alerted by his daughter that Christine has obtained a divorce during his latest absence. About all Joey has going for him with viewers is that he loves both his daughter and his wife. About all he still has going for him with Christine is the charisma of a free- spirit and a continuing physical attraction.

His daughter Beth (Burnette) is his ally in his attempts to salvage their family, as she is not particularly fond of her mother's fiancée (Brian Kerwin). Kerwin's stable but boring character is the polar opposite of Joey and she thinks her mother is overcompensating for Joey's historical unreliability.

"Hard Promises" is mostly dedicated to exploring Joey's inherent and impossible to change aimlessness. This gets a little oppressive if you are looking for a dynamic story but the film is a successful exercise in unity and style. The score and the editing reinforce this theme and provide a surprising number of really beautiful and moving film moments. The climax is unconventional and they go out on a nice scene between father and daughter.

It is an unexpectedly slick production, a triumph of style over substance-but in a good way.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I'm about to sit down and watch this movie. The reviews that are posted I find confusing as there are apparently eight people who don't know what they're talking about with assorted reviews between 7 & 10 and two "visionaries" who have rated it a "1".

William Petersen is excellent as a thirty-something good ol' boy and absentee husband who is about to grow up a bit as he's forced to face some uncomfortable facts about himself. Sissy Spacek is his newly divorced wife who is about to remarry when he comes barreling back into her life to prevent it....These two would have never gotten married if they had had a good astrologist do their charts in detail; he's very much a Sagittarius, probably with afflicted aspects in his sixth house, whereas she's a dyed in the wool Cancer. They obviously have great physical chemistry but severely conflicting emotional and psychological temperaments and needs. It took her 12 years of anguish to divorce him even though they still love each other. He's trying very hard to win her back and nearly does but ultimately she's more adult then he is and her resistance though nearly crumbling, persists. The film stands as a perceptive and sympathetic study of basically incompatible characters with a knowing and abiding understanding and fondness for each other who will never be able to weld into a viable union.

One can always count on the IMDb - no matter how bad, how awful a film is, there will be four or five people who invariably give it ten stars and say it's a great film. I mean, I have yet to find the film listed where this does not happen.

Hard Promises does not have one laugh, one real moment, one near-touching scene (even the young daughter's scenes - and I'm a sucker for emotional scenes between parents and children) - the dialog is terrible, the film has not one iota of charm, the direction is blander than bland. The actors all do what they can, but there is nothing to do but work hard to try and make something out of nothing.

Of course, when one does a little further research, one finds that the film was universally panned by just about everyone, and, in its one week engagement at actual movie theaters, it became one of the lowest grossing films in history - a whopping $360,000 or thereabouts. Not many films achieve THAT kind of gross. Great film? No. Good film? No. Bad film? Yes. But, there are obviously four or five people for whom this worked - so, that's something.

Just, ugh. A comedy that isn't funny. A heartwarming movie that isn't particularly heartwarming.

The part that really bothers me about the movie is that Joey says He is willing to settle down and get a job if Christine would take him back. But as soon as it is not an option Joey's ready to hit the road again. Dude! What about your daughter?! Even if He is no longer Chris' husband He is still Beth's father and nothing is ever going to change that! Man up and be a Dad! Stay for Her! Do what's good for Her! Yes, Walt is her stepfather and frankly more responsible but you're her biological Dad.

Sissy is just annoying in this movie. It is like She thinks She can just smile and act cute and silly and that's charming.

I loved Olivia Burnette as the daughter - the only one in this movie who has a good head on her shoulders. Her performance was so earnest and genuine and her tears felt so real.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the familiar-looking red-haired freckled-faced girl who, I think, plays Dawn's daughter. Her character's name according to the credits is Mary although She's never called that on screen. That's clevar considering Sissy's name at birth was Mary (Sissy was a nickname her brothers gave her). She doesn't have any lines, but She does briefly show that familiar grin. In the wedding scene She is being dragged along by Dawn when She briefly turns back to the camera. In the movie There's a sweet scene where Chris peeks into a bedroom and sees Beth and Mary sleeping side and side and looks longingly at her FICTIONAL daughter and kisses her on the head. It is pretty sweet in a meta sense and probably didn't require a lot of acting on Sissy's part. She just had to remember to kiss the right girl.

On that same note I liked when Chris says "I have a beautiful daughter" (in real life Sissy has two beautiful daughters)