thebaldguy

At the dinner table Harriet, Ron's fiancé, is supposed to call at 5 o'clock and Julie, his little sister, is confused and says that it already was 5 o'clock. She is then told that it is 5 o'clock in Columbus and asks if you could travel back and forth and never grow old. Brenda supports this sarcastically, "Oh that's right sweetie" and is than castigated by her mother for giving the younger sibling misinformation. I am assuming that they mean Columbus,Ohio, the location of Ohio State, Ron's school, but this makes no sense since Columbus, Ohio is in the same EST time zone as Purchase, New York where the action is taking place. This appeared to be a goof, but I was at a loss to explain it until I reread the original Philip Roth Novella, which placed Harriet in Milwaukee and in the Central Time Zone. The screenwriter put her in Columbus for some reason, but neglected to realize that Columbus is in the Eastern Time Zone and that this great dialog would have this inaccuracy.

If you really like Ed Burns, don't see this movie. This guy is a great actor-director-screen writer and has made many memorable movies, which keep bouncing around in my imagination like The Brothers Mc Mullen, No Looking Back, and She's The One. He has the ability to create complex multi-faceted characters who remind me of guys I grew up with, but this movie doesn't come close. Fortunately, he is young and creative and probably still has to earn a living, so I'll wait for his next, hopefully better effort.

I wanted to get a copy of the screenplay to compare the movie with the dialog and directions, but initially received the FIRST draft by David Rabe. I finally got the shooting script later. All I can say is that it ended with Mc Deere blowing away all the partners in a restaurant with an AK-47. It really made me appreciate the re-write by David Rayfiel and Robert Towne. I have watched this movie many times and enjoy the suspense, romance, and Grusin's solo piano score, which always blows me away. But the one thing that impressed me most with multiple viewing, is how Gene Hackman really makes the movie work. His portrayal of this corrupt, but incredably likeable character is the one thread that holds the movie together for me and goes down as one of his most memorable acting performances.