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I stumbled across this film late one night when there was nothing on HBO, Showtime or the countless other channels in our now 500-channel universe. "Once Around" has a great cast, an excellent story line and a song track that I just love.

Any film that has Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter as leads and Gena Rowlands as a supporting actress should be a must see film and I don't know how this one got passed me when it was first released. It seems Richard Dryfuss's "Where Bob?" got all the attention in 1991 and this film seems to have come in under the radar.

"Once Around" displays real emotions, conflicts and family dynamics in a way that makes you laugh and makes you cry. Danny Aiello gives a great performance without going over the top and a young, Laura San Giacoma, before her "Just Shoot Me" days gives a glimpse of the star she should have become.

Congratulations to all who were involved in the endeavor.

Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter star in an offbeat comedy where the characters are the punchlines. Holly Hunter gives another excellent performance with a dead on Boston accent. This is her character's story more than anyone else. Although Danny Aiello and Gena Rowlands add to the movie, it is Hunter's story. Laura San Giacomo is a surprise as well. She is hardly in the movie, but she is as strong as Gena Rowlands...which I may add is a giant task. If you love Dreyfuss, you will love his over the top performance as an old man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Aiello is just as good if not better. Both characters are seen as father figures. By the end of the movie, the two are more like brothers. A touching story that keeps the character development moving until the end of the movie. Not many comedies are like this one.

With a strong cast of some of Hollywood's best veteran actors and a highly respected director of praised dramas, "Once Around" got what it needs to lift it out of a often used formula. It is wonderful to see such an eclectic cast of characters together making something extraordinary out of the ordinary. Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfus deserve each other as a highly charged couple. Dreyfus's Sam is a piece of work - brash, manipulative and yet engaging. Hunter is full of nervous energy. Gena Rowland does not disappoint in displaying the power in her character in the scene where she confronts Dreyfus in protection of her husband at a reception. The one character that stood out the most, in my mind,is Danny Aiello's family patriarch. His is a laconic, slightly wounded man, trying to remain dignified while holding the family together. He was overshadowed by the showy Dreyfus. You feel his pains. But when Dreyfus got sick near the end, he would carry him into the house when Dreyfus and Hunter come to visit. What could improve the ending is have daughter (Hunter) and father (Aiello) walk hand-in-hand in the snow, to symbolize her journey home and finds love and support where she always knew were there. 3 of 4 stars.

I found this movie/the story mesmerizing. Holly Hunter is exceptional, but then the entire cast is perfect. I don't share the thought that Dreyfuss' character was obnoxious. I think he was just full of life and willing to lay it on the line, all the time, because you only go around once. Hence the title, Once Around.

He didn't play it safe. I had a hard time understanding why the Bella family could not accept him. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain by developing their relationship with him.

I actually felt the family members were envious of Renata and Sam and their love for each other.

It's a great study in family dynamics. It's well-worth watching. I'm going to watch it again, today.

Once Around is to me a love story - romantic love, familial love, love of life. I've seen this movie probably 10 times and I watched it again yesterday with the love of my life. He had never seen it before but agreed with me that it is a lovely film. Sam Sharp's behavior can be painful at times to watch, but he is so full of childlike belief in the goodness of everyone else that you can't help but feel real affection for him and no more so than when he kisses Joe Bella on the cheek in the most tender and loving way even after the cruel way he was treated. Gena Rowlands,Danny Aiello, Richard Dreyfus and Holly Hunter are all so believable in their roles. When Marilyn Bella says to Sam Sharp "I will not allow you to make my husband's family uncomfortable"(or words to that effect) she is like a mother lion defending her cubs. I love this movie and now I start to tear up even when something good is happening because I know what's coming next. I hope no one is discouraged from renting this movie because of the negative comments posted here. It's only $1.00 and you can always turn it off, but maybe you will see something heartwarming and that is pretty hard to find these days.