Faithful

I came across this movie on late night TV with no previous knowledge of the movie not knowing any of the cast and was pleasantly surprised. Do not get me wrong this in not a great movie but it is certainly a lot better than the usual late night moves we find on terrestrial TV her in the UK. As I learnt from the opening credits that this was adapted from a play by the co-lead Chazz Palminteri and it really shows with the vast majority of the movie being set in the one location the house of the female lead Margaret (played by Cher whom normally really grates me by in this is not to bad, though she has had so much plastic surgery she does look like an extra from 'The Dark Crystal). The premise is of Tony a hit-man being sent by Margaret's husband to kill her, but this turns into a wiseguy farce with lots or role reversals especially with the re-appearance of the husband Jack (a slimy Ryon O'Neil). The direction really is point the camera and the set and shoot adding to the theatre feeling but considering there are pretty much only three characters on screen most of the time we get some decent chemistry between them and a not totally predictable outcomes. I would not go out of my way to see this again but would not avoid it on a bored afternoon trapped in some hotel or another.

Comcast cable gave "Faithful" just 2 stars, so I wasn't sure I wanted to see it. But I love films Cher has starred in, so I watched it not expecting too much. It's a small but delightful film about the interaction of a woman and the hit-man hired to kill her.

Maggie (Cher) is an extremely wealthy housewife. She drives a Rolls, and lives in a modern mansion that seems large enough to house a hotel or resort. But she is depressed. Her husband of 20 years, Jack (Ryan O'Neal), has been neglecting her. They haven't had sex for months and she is sure he is having an affair. A hit-man, Tony (Chazz Palminteri), sneaks into her house and ties her to a chair. He explains that her husband hired him to kill her, but he has to wait until the husband signals (by phoning and hanging up after two rings) that he has reached his alibi location.

While waiting, Maggie tries to convince Tony to work for her instead of her husband. Tony becomes distressed and calls his psychotherapist, Dr. Susskind (Paul Mazursky, who also was the film's Director).

While this does not sound like a comedy, in what drama does a hit-man call his therapist during a job? Besides, there is the anticipation that Maggy will come out on top. She is Cher after-all!

Chazz Palminteri is excellent as the troubled hit-man. He also wrote the play the film is based on, and wrote the screenplay. Robert De Niro is listed as the Producer.

There are some minor problems that I didn't think about until writing this review. They don't really matter:

1. Maggie considers herself a housewife. But how does she spend her days? Wouldn't such a person have a circle of girlfriends who discuss each others family problems?

2. Shouldn't such a large home have a staff to run it? It has an elaborate security system but no staff to respond to intrusions? A cook? A maid to keep the many rooms clean? 3. Cher's acting seemed to me to somehow to be a little off, as if she didn't put her full effort into it. In other films she has been a superb actress.

The film was adapted from a play, so it is not surprising that nearly all the scenes are in the mansion.

This was better than I expected. Chazz Palminteri plays a hit man set to kill Cher, and who was sent by her husband, played by Ryan O'Neal. But then once Chazz starts to talk to her, they seem to have this snappy discourse. (He can't just kill her - he's waiting for a phone call from the husband.) This isn't more than a nice-looking play (great house in Harrison, NY), and it's not suspenseful at all, but Palminteri's charm carries it nicely.

Vote: 7

Faithful all in all is a pretty disappointing movie. Cher is brilliant and gives as usual a good performance. But, Chaz once again plays that typical role (gangster, hit man, etc.). The movie has its moments but, not much else.

Ok, so it's not an action packed thriller, but if you're in the mood to laugh, it's a great movie. Cher's acting was wonderful when you consider the fact that it was mainly just her and Chazz Palminteri for the majority of the movie. I personally thought that Chazz's acting was excellent. I mean, he wrote the movie AND was the main character. To me that seems like it would take a lot of talent which he obviously has to accomplish such a thing. I've heard some people say that they were disappointed at the fact that Chazz played his normal mobster character. In my opinion, his best rolls are when he plays a hitman, mobster, etc, because you know he's Italian, and makes a great tuff guy, even though in reality I bet he's probably really sweet. Another comment I've heard is that it was boring. If you thought it was boring, see it again because you didn't understand it. Keep in mind that the strength of this movie is the witty dialogue BECAUSE it was based on a play and BECAUSE it was a play/movie that was from the perspective of a cheated housewife held captive. What did you expect?