Second Thoughts

This is the epitome of what I call "Deja vu flicks," movies which you've seen before but barely remember; when you see them again, they seem vaguely familiar but you can't quite place the memory. A rather silly story about a ne'er do well free spirit in love with a straitlaced lawyer, this had one memorable element: in order to exact revenge on her ex, a banker, the main character takes out a safe-deposit box in the bank where he works and puts a dead fish in it. As the fish ages, the smell in the bank becomes intolerable. Pretty clever, I'd say. The movie as a whole is the kind of thing you might watch if you were in prison but it's not worth crossing the street to see.

Amy (Lucie Arnaz) is a lawyer who is involved with a street musician named Will. He is part American Indian and was once a student activist. Now, he only wants to entertain light crowds on the street. When Amy unexpectedly becomes pregnant, her doctor mentions the word abortion and Amy decides its the right option. That is, until Will accidentally learns what is about to take place. That's when he decides to sway Amy's decision by kidnapping her and holding her hostage at an abandoned house on an Indian reservation! Amy's ex-husband and banker may still be in love with her, too, complicating matters. Is it possible for Will to change Amy's mind, as he promptly declares that he "probably" loves her? And, will they send him to jail for 20 years for all of his crimes? This is just an odd, odd movie. Arnaz is really quite humane as the lawyer who chooses a street musician over a stuffy banker. The rest of the cast, including Ken Howard as the banker, are quite good. The film definitely has an eighties look, with Arnaz having a terrible haircut and costumes and everyone else not fairing much better. The most disturbing part is the topic of abortion. Here, it is a casual thing, for the most part, and a definite option when things do not go as planned. For those who have strong feelings against abortion, this is not the film for you. The trouble is, it is not really the film for anyone except the very, very curious or the very romantic. If you fall into one of these categories, you can certainly try to track down this movie. Just be prepared for one of the oddest views of your movie perusals.