Una figlia in carriera

This is a movie about making movies and standing up for your beliefs and not having to bow down under the pressures of audience expectations and studio involvements, and it had musical numbers which were cut and writers come in to dumb it down because of audience expectations and studio involvements.

But I found all that out after I first saw the movie and thought it was great entertainment. I love Nick Nolte, he's so grave and gruff and depressed that I hope he doesn't kill himself cause I really like everything he's done, even The Hulk, and especially Affliction and that Martin Short with a kid movie. Joely Richardson is gorgeous! Julie Kavner and James Brooks are great. I highly recommend this film, and hope to see it again soon on DVD with all of the deleted scenes.

Although I found the movie a bit frenetic, it seemed to have a ring of truth about how things work in Hollywood (especially the "Would you sleep with him?" scene). Nick Nolte keeps everything going, as usual, with his marvelous acting. Is there any other "big guy" actor who can cry believably (well, maybe Harrison Ford)? He was just terrific, so believable as the father who didn't know what to do with his spoiled brat daughter. And wasn't Whittni Wright amazing? I can only hope that was acting, as I've seen plenty of kids just like her. The supporting cast was terrific. It was hard to pinpoint what there was about this movie that made it not quite so good as it could have been. Perhaps it was that it really was an "in-house" film, one that anyone who has been through what the various characters have could identify with, but perhaps not us out in the hinterlands (coming from Wyoming to Australia, I'm definitely hinterland!). Kudos to actors and director for keeping this film together. With lesser talent, it could have fallen flat on its face.

It would be very interesting to see the original cut of this movie, which was a musical but had its songs cut out after a test audience indicated that the songs in the movie were terrible. (I'm surprised that not even a bootleg of this cut has leaked out.) I will entertain the possibility that the songs were indeed bad and that the movie was improved by the reworking. But as it is, the movie isn't particularly successful. It does have some interesting behind- the-scenes moments that show the working of the Hollywood machine behind the curtains, and the performances aren't that bad. However, the movie can't seem to make up its mind whether it is a comedy or a drama. It might have been possible to mix those two genres, but as it is here, the two extremes don't seem to fit together. Also, the key relationship in the movie - between the Nick Nolte character and his daughter - seems for the most part not very in-depth, so much so that the emotional ending doesn't seem deserved. The kind of slow pace of the movie as well as its length (almost two hours) doesn't help matters. It's not actively bad, but there's not much that will stick in your mind after watching it.

This is one of those 'greater than the sum of its parts' movie, where you can't quite put your finger on why it's so great, but it just is.

The set of this movie must've motivated these actors to beyond their usual performances..........maybe because the script is so great(they all get their shots at character development..... I can think of 5.)

There's Nick Nolte, I've never DISliked him, but his physique combined with his sweet fatherly attitude makes for the perfect combination; it makes him very attractive. Joely Richardson I've only seen in one other movie, but she keeps you interested in her character all the way through, however quirky, weird, or whimsical. Nolte's daughter (Wright) is SO believable as the spoiled little rich girl, brought up by man-hater Tracy Ullman (!)'s character as mom. The two other characters are supporting; one is that lady who does Marge Simpson's voice, and her love interest. All these characters develop and learn.

This film also ironically gives insight into the film industry, and how truly unglamorous Hollywood can be. Nick Nolte must cry in a room full of people withOUT the director even being there, a group of ladies who work in casting are asked, when deciding yay-or nay on this actor, if they would sleep with him.

But in the end, it stays true to its source, meaning it doesn't look completely down at Hollywood or anything else. It's just a really adorable feel-good movie.



Did I mention adorable?



-Sep

I saw this movie recently on cable TV and liked it a lot . I was looking for something other than the usual action/shootout/special effect types and ended up selecting this one. I'm glad I did. The supporting actors were excellent and Nick Nolte & Whittni Wright were outstanding in their roles. It was refreshing to see Nolti do this type of thing, although I'm not surprised that he did it well. He's an actor who has, over time, honed his skills to an art form. I'm not sure that he is appreciated as much as he should be. Anyway, in my opinion, "I'll do Anything" is underrated here. I give this flick a high mark and hope that my participation in the "vote" will raise the average score of this fine movie. For those who have had their fill of movies that focus on violence, try this delightful James L Brooks production for a change of pace. Or if you simply want to watch a movie that entertains... go for this one.