In the Spirit

It is important to pay close attention to the first part of the movie, or you miss a lot, as it lays a foundation for the rest of the movie. This movie had me in stitches, and I love to watch it whenever I can use a good belly laugh. Ditzy New Age follower, Marlo Thomas has advice for everyone she meets. She crosses paths with Elaine May and Peter Falk, and that sets off a series of events leading to Marlo Thomas and Elaine May being hunted by murderous criminals...they hide away in a New Age camp, and plant booby traps for their hunters. This was the funniest part of the movie, to me, and some of the dialogue is hilarious, if you listen closely. Strangely, no one seems to know of it, and I just happened upon it years ago. I have two VHS tapes, and wouldn't get rid of my VCR, because I need them to watch this movie and a couple others I have. This one is a real gem, and anyone who hasn't seen it is missing out on some great comedy.

Few films have touched my life like this one. How can a person not laugh when a prostitute is accidentally killed when she's standing on the frame of a waterbed and it gives way and the mattress rolls over on her? Marlo Thomas, as new age health food store owner, Reeva Prosky gives the performance of a lifetime. She and Elaine May (Maryann Flan) not only share the same darma - they are the most humerous on-screen comedy duo in the history of film. The supporting cast is flawless - Peter Falk ("Why don't you come over and have some kelp?"); Melanie Griffith ("You mean like 'Finger-Licking Good' or 'Twenty Laps'?"); and Olympia Dukakis ("I have a husband with a heart condition and two children on drugs!") all bring new meaning to the word brilliant. The true star of the movie is Jeannie Berlin, who plays double duty as both the co- screenplay writer and the prostitute Crytsal. Not since William Shakespeare has there been such a story written for stage or screen. This movie changed my life.

It taught me the important life lesson that sometimes "the wise may act foolishly, the fool may act wisely, and the hunter may become the pray."

"In The Spirit" (1990) is a refreshingly female-oriented buddy comedy-mystery (despite the title, the fantasy elements are mininal), with an eclectic and unapologetically middle-aged cast. Marlo Thomas and Elaine May look damn good in their fifties and are perfectly in tune with each other as a comedy team (with some serious moments, too). May also shares some scenes with her real-life daughter, Jeannie Berlin, who co-wrote the film and has a smaller but amusingly foul-mouthed role. With all that said, the film itself could have been funnier. It feels mild and low-budget, perhaps ideal viewing for a lazy evening. **1/2 out of 4.

I stumbled across this movie when it first came out on video. The cover looked interesting so I rented it and immediately loved it. I bought it so I could watch it everyone once in a while. It's like an old friend. It's one of those rare, quirky comedies that touches you.

Marlo Thomas is amazing as nutty Reva Prosky, and Elaine May (from Mike Nichols/2nd City fame) was incredible!

I highly recommend this movie. It rocks.

My review was written in March 1990 after a screening on Manhattan's UES.

Elaine May and Marlo Thomas make a memorable screen odd couple in "In the Spirit". Kooky black comedy is for specialized tastes but stands a chance to find an appreciative audience among those longing for off-the-wall humor.

Pic is an unusual case on the current scene of big-name talent gathering with friends to make a low-budget film freed of mainstream good taste and gloss. The experiment works and plays like a throwback to the looser, madcap '60s.

"Spirit" also harks back to the black comedy spirit of Jules Feiffer's "Little Murders", as directed for the screen in 1971 by Alan Arkin. Again, New York is a nightmare, with May moving back to Gotrham from Beverly Hills with her just-fired hubby Peter Falk. She's thrown together with ditzy mystic Thomas fater hiring her to redecorate an apartment.

Almost as goofy as Thomas is Jeannie Berlin, a prostitute neighbor. Her matter-of-fact foul-mouthed pronouncements cue Falk's hilarious take so astonishment. Fact of family resemblance between Berlin and her real-life molm May (who directed her in "The Heartbreak Kid") gives a strange bookends look to these early scenes.

Berlin, co-scripter with Laurie Jones, writes herself out of the picture after the second reel and "Spirit" spins off in a different direction. Thomas and May flee the city to hole up at Michael Emil's New Age retreat in upstate New YHork, pursued by a murderer. First-time director Sandrfa Seacat emphasizes slapstick but also female bonding as the gals on the lam reach beyond their wacky survivalist tactics to address feminist issues.

The picture works in fits and starts; its weakest element being a stupid framing device of a mystical narrator telling us about the cosmic links between the characters. Midway change of tone may put off some viewers, but others will likely relish the intensity of th eMya and Thomas segment.

Script by Berlin and Jones (latter also popping up as a clumsy maid) perceptively mocks trendy attitudes a la Caitlin Adams/Melanie Mayron's "Sticky Fingers". In-jokes range from the obvious (mystical Shirley MacLaine) to the obscure (Robin Byrd's local cable access tv show).

In her first screen role since 1978 ("California Suite"), Elaine May is very funny, giving a lesson in rat-a-tat-tat delivery. Marlo Thomas proves a perfect foil, leading to a satisfying role reversal at pic's end.

Besides Falk, who's morose enough here to challenge monologist Brother Theodore (Gottlieb) in the realm of dark humor, guest star Melanie Griffith is perfect as a prostitute interviewed by Thomas and May (both funny in disguises as fellow hookers), who strips down to her black undies in homage to her previous Mike Nichols' "Working Girl" role. Emil and Olympia Dukakis are wasted in brief assignments.

Pic is claustrophobic with its emphasis on closeups, but that's not damaging due to its overall paranoia theme.