Signs of Life

When it seems imminent that a small boat-building company is closing down in a sleepy Maine town, it affects the lives of the key personnel and those linked to them in different ways.

"Signs of Life" (1989) is worth seeing for the scenic setting of coastal Maine, as well as catching Vincent D'Onofrio and Mary-Louise Parker when they were young and relatively unknown. Several other notables are on hand, like Kevin J. O'Connor, Beau Bridges and Arthur Kennedy. The latter plays a cantankerous 66 years-old man, but easily looks ten years older (he was 74 during shooting and this was his last film).

Some parts are too draggy, but there's enough interesting things going on in the intersecting stories to keep interest, along with some quality droll amusement. I like how the flick leads you to think something is going to happen, but pulls the rug out from under you.

It runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot at various locations near the central coast of Maine (Thomaston, Stonington, South Bristol and Ellsworth), except for one short underwater sequence done at Mystic Marine Aquarium in Connecticut.

GRADE: B-

Everything was by the numbers for this melodramatic soap operaesque movie. No worse or better than others from this era, which isn't really saying anything. The story is good, and the location is beautiful. The execution falls way short of the mark, unfortunately. The cast is spotty, ranging from absulutely awful performances to quite decent ones. Inane dialogue ruins the day, and inept directing spoils what may have been entertaining viewing. The highlights of the movie are the muscle car and the boats. Beau's performance is hardly adequate. Mary Louise Parker is captivating as always, but ultimately her role amounts to zilch. Very clumsy direction and pointless side stories detract from any momentum. The rating here is preposterous as usual. A forgettable movie from start to finish. The old bugger who runs the failing boatyard is incompetent as an actor, whoever he is. It starts bad and gets worse as it unfolds. The characters end up coming across as idiotic bumbling morons, and that's not the case with the people of the era at all. Horrendous. One star for Parker and one for the scenery, which we don't get to see nearly enough of. Half the movie is filler of dragging scenes with close ups on faces which seem to be hoping this film doesn't sink their career. Rightfully so. The stupidity of it all will astound even people who usually lap up this inane drivel. Pure slop.

It's not real flashy, but this movie does a great job of developing a large cast of characters, and letting you know their hopes and desires, while still managing to be both funny and bittersweet. A very sweet movie. Fun, also, to see Vincent D'Onofrio and Mary-Louise Parker so early in their careers.

A boat builder in a sleepy town in Maine is going out of business, and the lives of all of the (soon to be ex-)workers and families are disrupted. The biggest disappointment is that the two stars--Bates and Bridges--have only bit parts.

Interesting, but not something you would see twice.

In one sense, "Signs of Life" is a fantasy, full of vibrant photography and off-center characterizations. But it is also grounded in a dramatic sense, with a collection of fantastic actors all providing convincing performances. Aging shipbuilder Owen Coughlin (Arthur Kennedy) is the central focus of the ensemble cast. Every character, regardless of minimal screen-time, feels perfectly fleshed out. It was a real pleasure to watch Vincent D'Onofrio, Beau Bridges and Mary-Louise Parker especially.

"Signs of Life" is a collection of individual short stories, all weaving together to make a surprisingly coherent whole. Mark Malone's script is brilliant in how it manages this without losing interest. But it's entirely possible that an even better film could exist based solely around the Kennedy character. The dialogue really lets you get under the skin to the real human sides of these people. Two elements of the production stand out specifically well. The soundtrack by Howard Shore is understated and engaging. Elliot Davis photographs the film perfectly, using color and light in fascinating and revelatory ways scene after scene. And the direction by John David Coles is also good, giving the right balance to both fantasy and reality.

There's always more than enough to keep the viewer interested, fascinating, and entertained. Something about "Signs of Life" really moved me. I hope it will do the same for you.