Snapshots

For those that are long time Burt Reynolds fans, this movie is unique. For the first time in many years, Burt was forced to act instead of being a sexy model who could spew lines on cue. Sadly, Burt doesn't portray a aging hippie really well. It isn't the acting that is so bad. it is the writing. Scene changes at the very beginning of the movie confuses, then brush off. It takes until almost the middle of the movie to fully understand what is going on. The underlying story of a young girl finding herself works out eventually. But that too takes forever. All of the actors and actresses do a wonderful job in their parts. Horrible writing kills their acting jobs though. A touching story once you forget about the worthlessness of it all.

What a nice, quiet little movie. Rented it last night, on the quest for something non-blockbuster-ish. The atmosphere and subtly-felt performances were so nicely executed that it made up for the unlikeliness of the key plot points. Wonderful shots of Amsterdam, too.

Just caught this film on cable. It's always nice to see Julie Christie no matter how strange the casting. It is odd to see her playing a Moroccan woman but she can actually pull it off. Carmen Chaplin is delightful as the young artist but I felt that Burt was out his element. He's just not believable as an old hippie in Amsterdam-even smoking a joint. The story is a little too cliche--coming of age, reunited old loves, even flirting with "older man falls for sweet young thing who may be his daughter", but still something holds my interest.

The atmosphere is warm, the city of Amsterdam is very appealing, the shots on board the boat are great. A sweet, sentimental tale worth the time to view.

"Snapshots" is a journeyman B-flick about a middle-aged bookseller in Amsterdam (Reynolds) who meets the daughter (Chaplin) of an old love (Christie), falls in like with her, and then confronts his feelings with a little help from his past. This corny and awkward little flick has too many deficits for this commentary. Suffice it to say that in the grand scheme of cinema, it's crap. However, as a no brainier sentimental watch for the zoning sofa spud, it squeaks by as nominal fluff. Recommended for fans of the players or anyone who can't find anything better among the channels. (C)

Note - the snapshots referred to by the title are really black and white nude studies of Chaplin...the most interesting, artistic, and professionally done thing in the film, IMHO.

Burt reynolds, julie christie, carmen chaplin (charlie chaplin's granddaughter). Larry runs a bookstore in amsterdam, but a businessman is very eager to buy up his shop, as well as the other shops on the street. When he meets a strong willed young lady from america, he reminisces about meeting another young girl here, years ago. Lots of flashbacks, but it's well done, and fortunately, it's easy to tell when we are in those flashsbacks, which not everyone can master. It's a fun tale. Nothing tricky or real new, but it's a pleasant journey. And who doesn't have fun in amsterdam? Directed by rudolf vandenBerg. Has won numerous film fest awards for his films.