In Praise of Older Women

I caught this playing constantly on cable TV late at night back in the early 80s. Not much of a plot. It's just about hunky Tom Berenger (who was only 29 when he made this) seducing one older woman after another. That's all it is--nothing else...but not bad for what it is.

The woman themselves are all very beautiful, have nice bodies and (surprisingly) are good actresses--Karen Black and Helen Shaver especially. The only disappointment in the film was there were next to no full frontal nude shots of Berenger. The women show everything but not him and--let's face it--back then he WAS very handsome and had a great body. There are only flashes of his "best parts" and (for some reason) even THOSE were clumsily edited out the last time I saw the pic (in the mid 80s)! If you're gonna do a soft core pic let's see everything.

That aside it was a light, enjoyable sex film--nothing more. I give it a 7.

To be very honest, I can't really disagree with some of the negative reviews out there concerning this film. But every once in a while, some movie appeals to you and deep down you know that it's really not that good. As for this one, I've seen it a few times and I always enjoy it.

The film basically covers all of Berenger's sexual adventures with women who are somewhat older than he is. While he seems to fall deeply in love with them, these relationships don't seem to work out for him.

I really don't know what point this film is trying to make. Berenger's first real intimate relationship with Karen Black ends when he's unfaithful to her, his next one when he goes to Canada to escape turmoil in his country and leaves his rebel woman behind, the third woman is simply frigid and dumps him after he finally gets her off and finally he can't make it work with Helen Shaver.

I simply enjoy the movie. Tom Berenger is my favorite actor and he's very appealing here, as always. On the whole, this film is well acted, Karen Black very good especially. The movie looks good enough, with convincing settings, but I think it was produced on a relatively low budget. It's fairly dramatic at times, especially when he has to leave one girlfriend behind in war ridden Hungary.

This movie ain't spectacular or anything, but I like it.

One quibble; what's with that poster. Seems like a porno flick, definitely not the cover for this film.

If you can accept this Canadian made film as light entertainment, and not expect too much, you will definitely enjoy it. Unfortunately, at the time of release,it was unfavorably compared to the novel,and received some undeservedly vicious reviews,but it was a huge hit in Canada, where Helen Shaver received a best supporting Actress award for it.

Tom Berenger is remarkably charismatic as a Hungarian lad who has romances with some of the international cinema's most accomplished(and underrated actresses) actresses, Karen Black, Susan Strasberg, and Alexandra Stewart,after striking out with a girl his age(Marianne MacIsaac, sounding quite like a young Marilyn Monroe). Is's a pleasure to watch the then novice, very handsome Berenger hold his own as an actor against this talented trio. Much was written about the film's sexuality and nudity, but it's not much, except for an extremely heated closing encounter between Tom and Helen Shaver. All in all, a memorable, unique film.

'In Praise of Older Women' is one of those films I first saw on late night tv in the 90's as a teen and I cannot lie. It was definitely strong sexual themes, content that caught my eye. I've never forgotten it, but only by chance do I revisit and find myself appreciating it for other elements now. Largely because it's plot headlined by Tom Berenger goes for gravitas in matters of love and fails spectacularly.

András Vayda (Berenger) a young boy in war torn 1940's Hungary loses his father and is raised solely by his mother. An able go between for American GI's, black market supplies grants him his first taste of female pleasure. Now older he finds young women his age difficult and his search for love, sex turns to the mature set. As his country, world changes before him so does he and it's one romance after another, lessons in heartbreak and moving on.

Watching this now, I was surprised at what we young men used to find arousing. We've come a long way with nudity in cinema and what's on display is relatively tame and in much shorter bursts than I recalled. Though I'm not sure what light to view a young boy's encounter with a prostitute under anymore. Erotic? Fantasy? Distasteful?

When that wasn't occupying my mind it was me trying to keep a straight face. Buying into Tom as an awkward young man (he was nearly thirty here). A bit when he reveals contemplating suicide if he didn't get the nerve to ask Maya (Karen Black) to have sex. Then later on offering a woman a ceramic ashtray as a gesture of love. What?

My younger self enjoyed the sex, appreciation for older women even if I couldn't grasp the cinematic badness going on, historical elements. The mature me can see 'In Praise of Older Women' is not a great film and bungles many of it's ideas, theme, but still retains an interesting notion or two.

Like someone else on this page has already said, this movie should not be approached as a serious period piece, but as a soft-core porn flick. The vapid characters have been stripped of all human dimensions except their sex drive. You kind of wonder when exactly Tom Berenger's character found the time to become a philosophy professor, since we almost always see him in a horizontal position, if you know what I mean. But nobody can deny that the film does have some genuinely erotic moments (Susan Strasberg steals the show in that department, as the always "hungry for more" Bobbie). (**)