Searching for Debra Winger

I started out liking this film. Ms. Arquette was making some good points, talking to some very interesting actresses (Jane Fonda is a standout, as well as Debra Winger herself.) But this film could have easily been 20 minutes shorter--it just seemed to go on and on. In the end, when all of the actresses involved in the documentary are signing their names in lipstick on pieces of mirror (huh?), Rosanna is the very last one to do it. It just hit the point that this was such a vanity piece rather than a serious piece of filmmaking, which it really could have been, if someone else had directed it that is.

I just want to thank Rosanna Arquette for what was one of the most intriguing documentaries about Hollywood I've seen. Although I live in Los Angeles, I do not work in the film industry, and in general tend to feel as though we, the citizens of the Movie Capital of the World, are frequently over-inundated with media about actors and their films.

But SEARCHING FOR DEBRA WINGER is different. Despite what the reader may feel about Hollywood, the actresses interviewed are some of the most influential performing artists of our era. Through Arquette, we get an opportunity to sit down and have a frank chat about their art, their insights, their ambivalence. The doc is not like a Barbara Walters interview: predictable and formatted and PR-mediated. Interviewed by Arquette, a fellow actress with similar sympathies, over little dinner parties, in restaurants, on lawn chairs -- even in the ladies room (a goofy, then serious Frances McDormand) -- the actresses managed to be more frank, more casual, unguarded with their opinions. Some seemed suspicious that the little documentary would ever be aired at all -- inadvertently freeing them up to be even more honest.

Famous for their beauty, their talent and their projects, you get to see that they are intelligent, clever, funny, angry, uptight, resentful, self-conscious, generous, insightful, even visionary in ways that are only hinted at in their films. The dialogue in SEARCHING FOR DEBRA WINGER is all in the actresses own words: no scripts, no acting, no roles. Its an opportunity to see who they are, in all their brilliance, artistry, egotism and folly. Diane Lane is sharp as a tack. Alfre Woodard deeply reflective, eloquent and mature. My suspicion that Holly Hunter is a genius is confirmed. Theresa Russell cuts loose with quite a bit of rage. Whoopi Goldberg is the antidote to glamour-poisoning. Sharon Stone is at least as ballsy as her onscreen persona. Jane Fonda comes over as a wise and deeply generous doyenne. And Debra Winger is more compelling than she's been in any of her movie roles.

Perhaps the biggest revelation was Rosanna Arquette herself. She really puts herself out there, expressing her own insights, risking the exposure of her doubts, in a way that encourages the other actresses to feel comfortable, to open up, to speak frankly. Arquette gamely drops a lot of the pretensions of the industry to tell her story, and to get the other actresses to tell theirs, and as a result manages to reveal unexpected truths about the people behind the profession.

Because of all the big names, the documentary has star power, glamour, and charm in spades. But it has much more. With the lighting, hair and makeup aspect de-emphasized, one gets a glimpse of the real people underneath the monolithic illusion we know as Hollywood, and I found these people, these artists more fascinating than any scripted characters I've seen in quite some time. Underneath all the glittering surfaces, one discovers a deep, and untapped reservoir of artistic -- and human -- potential.

This film is a very intelligent and moving one, on a subject that is rarely discussed so freely between stars of the screen. Miss Arquette has done a great job, directing and participating in the film. It helps demystifying the work of actresses, their relationships and their everyday life. I think it is a very unique document for anyone who want s to start a career in acting, even if you're a man, one of the most touching scene, is when Jane Fonda talks about how many times she did feel or attained nirvana doing a character, the way she felt just before entering the set, and how she felt while she was actually entering in someone else's soul, absolutely breathtaking! Rosanna Arquette, you surprised me with that very inspiring movie, thank you so much!

The cast of this film is all women, mostly mature actresses, over 40 years old where Hollywood sees them as grandmothers. Despite the fact that they look great, they reach an age in the business where they are not considered at all and turned down for parts. Hollywood's biggest problem in this industry is the lack of roles about mature women by mature women for mature women audiences. I could see the frustration of having former leading ladies being turned into grandmothers before their time or put out to pasture. They still want to work and have a family if that is there goal. But working in this business is tough enough, you can win Academy Awards like Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave and still be auditioning for roles. The gender gap in Hollywood is quite fierce where the women must be attractive and talent is secondary. Also the roles in the films are quite fierce for women. Yes, this documentary is a feminist but still female as well. This documentary shows how far behind Hollywood is in establishing equality for women in the business.

I certainly appreciate what I believe Rosanna Arquette was trying to accomplish with this well intentioned documentary. Unfortunately the project was just not edited well enough nor focused enough on any particular issue faced by aging actresses to ever be engrossing or fascinating. Instead about midway through, it felt like the focus became 'how many actresses can I fit into this 99 minute film'.

I was hoping for a serious discussion of why writers no longer value story lines featuring actresses over 40. Why do we not get to see more juicy roles for our favorites....the Jessica Langes, Sissy Spaceks, Diane Keatons, Maggie Smiths, Sally Fields, etc etc. How do they feel about the new 'youth only' version of Hollywood? How do they choose roles today, and how fulfilling is working in TV after decades of movie work. These issues were talked about, but so were about 100 others, which watered down the film's narrative power substantially.

Some of the input was certainly worthwhile. I loved the feedback from Whoopi Goldberg, Holli Hunter, Diane Lane, Sharon Stone, and Martha Plimpton the most. These actresses were given a lot of screen time and were very interesting. Jane Fonda's admission that she was a less than perfect mother was also eye opening.

Other actresses I wanted to see more of were just given a few seconds on screen. I wanted more from Teri Garr (along with Goldberg, the actress with the most realistic viewpoints in the film). JoBeth Williams began to discuss the guilt of being a working mom, but then was never seen again. Catherine O'Hara was underused, with only a few seconds on screen.

Worth a watch but probably will not be as good as you are hoping for after seeing all the names involved. I commend Arquette for the effort in any case.