Woman Wanted

It is a complete mystery why this gem of a movie has apparently failed to find a theatrical release and been shown first on cable TV. " Woman Wanted " has a strong cast and demonstrates again that Holly Hunter is one of the most gifted actresses around today. Coming on top of her wonderful performance in " Living Out Loud " and a great turn on stage in the off-broadway play " Impossible Marriage " it is a delight in this movie to see her combining wistful emotion with a fierce self-confidence that really makes you care what happens to the enigmatic character of Emma Riley. Emma is the " Woman Wanted " hired as a housekeeper by the Goddard father and son strongly played by Michael Moriarty and Kiefer Sutherland (who also directs the movie) and the way Hunter plays the role evokes memories of characters from earlier movies such as Miss Firecracker, Always and Once Around. She somehow manages to look a dead ringer for Carnelle in Miss Firecracker, even though that movie is over 10 years old, and totally different from the Judith the 40 something New Yorker in Living Out Loud. Perhaps this is the true meaure of a great actor.

" Woman Wanted " comes over a shade or two darker than the excellent book by Joanna McClelland Glass (who also wrote the screenplay) which is a shame as the movie could have done with some of the book's lighter moments to offset a sombre mood . But take nothing away from the main performers who have a good chemistry - especially Sutherland and Hunter - and the line from Sutherland about the emergency room being a good substitute for family is a classic.

Above all, though, I shall remember " Woman Wanted " for the emotional power of Hunter's performance as Emma Riley and to borrow Spielberg's words she is a true " architect of character. "

This remarkably nuanced film directed by Kiefer Sutherland succeeds in many places. Handsomely and sensitively shot, it suggests many small films by more acclaimed directors, and is far more confident than any impression of Sutherland's work to date would make it reasonable to expect.

While working at a NYC-based talent agency, I had the pleasure of assisting the agent to Carrie Preston, who shines like a jewel in this movie. When the role was offered to Carrie, the film was already in production in Canada, and my boss was out of town, so I had to frenziedly get the script to Preston, work out the details of Carrie's deal with the agent covering in LA, and get her on a plane in the space of a few days.

I spent the better part of one Saturday copying the script. I took it home and read it, wondering what the hell could be worth all of the inconvenience...seeing the finished piece, nearly three years after it was filmed makes it all worthwhile...Preston's utterly spontaneous, natural, courageously unvain performance is a triumph for an actress who works steadily in the NY theater and gets far too few film roles. As Sutherland's girlfriend, she conveys a litany of emotion in a single glance, and nails her role as a young, haplessly confused and conflicted woman cold.

Sutherland triumphs in two ways; by sparing nothing in his unsympathetic portrayal of the sullen, withdrawn, unbearably moody Wendell Goddard while keeping the melodrama firmly in check. His directorial restraint and maturity keep his character's presence in the film to a minimum, and the film and his character are both better served by it.

Michael Moriarty delivers a lovely performance as Richard Goddard, the buttoned-up, widowed patriarch of a dysfunctional New England family, loving his son while having absolutely no idea who he is or what to do with him.

Emma Riley arrives, played flawlessly by Holly Hunter, as the "woman" desired in the title, to take charge of the large old house inhabited by the two men who barely know one another. Predictably, her charm and honesty pierce the veil of WASP coolness, and she brings warmth and intimacy back to the lives of the two closed men.

The charm and good intentions of this film are hard to deny. Love for the project shines like sunlight through every crack in the tightly written script, from the book of the same name. Earnest work from the four principals is satisfying, yet overall, the film feels slightly glib and trite once you are away from it for a few hours. I was enthralled while watching it, really relishing the chance to view some stellar work by some very good actors, and yet, something about it is predictable and slightly disappointing once some of the spell it wove about me wore off.

Overall, I think this is well worth finding on cable or in your video store. Richly written characters make some of the overly metaphoric shots worth enduring, and the dead-on performances are a rare pleasure indeed. A flawed tale of emotional development and the importance of love and communication. Very nice work.

I saw the video first as a rental and loved it. Then I bought the DVD and was disappointed that 1)Kiefer Sutherland's name was removed as the director, and replaced with Alan Smithee and his version of the film, and 2)There were a number of important scenes that the DVD version deleted. Do yourself a favor and rent the video. The video makes sense whereas, the DVD version seems to skip about and leaves out key scenes which are essential for understanding and enjoying this wonderful movie.

Holly Hunter is skilful and charming as always, and Kiefer Sutherland is better than usual. Michael Moriarty is sufficiently different from his "Law and Order" role (the only thing from which I really know him) that I can see he's a capable actor, not just a TV character. But everyone's performance is perhaps a bit too unmodulated, with too constant a tone from start to finish. I also had trouble believing the sudden romance than blooms between Moriarty and Hunter. And the Billy Eckstine version of "Everything I Have Is Yours" that plays over the closing credits is such a clash with the flavor of the rest of the movie.

I found the ending a bit disturbing, though. I'm not giving anything away that's not already in the IMDB plot summary, but I couldn't help wondering how this odd family would make out, with a newborn that could belong either to Moriarty or Sutherland. Will they teach the child that Sutherland is the father and Moriarty as the grandfather, or that Sutherland is the half-brother and Moriarty is the father? Perhaps not a stressful as "my sister AND my daughter," but awkward nonetheless. Sounds not like the end of the story but the beginning of another one.

I have to admit I checked out this movie solely because it was filmed locally and was curious how it turned out - what a pleasant surprise! I would describe this quiet, somewhat slow moving film as a bittersweet, and moving testament to the bonds of family. It is also eerily reminiscent of Redford's "Ordinary People" starring Keifer's dad, Donald Sutherland. The performances were A+. The interplay between father and son were especially moving and I couldn't help thinking( hypothetically of course)of Keifer's own personal issues with his own estranged father(especially since Keifer also directed this, as well as starred in it). Ideally this movie would of, I believe, have had a bigger audience as a movie of the week or say a Hallmark presentation. Too bad, as "Woman Wanted" is a likable film deserving of more recognition, or even possibly an Emmy nomination if it was. But be warned, this movie is quite slow...just stick with it, it'll be worth it.