In the Mood

I must have watched this film close to ten times by now and I've enjoyed it every time. The script is charming, the acting great, the direction masterful and the sense of time and place very convincing. To top it off, it's even a true story. I love this film and I wish they'd bring it out on DVD.

The real life adventures of "Sonny" Wisecarver do seem like the stuff for a laugh-out-loud comedy, but that's not how it ends up in this retelling. To be sure, there are some humorous moments that did make me laugh, but most of the movie is not made out to be "ha ha" funny. Instead, it is lightly amusing. I think this was the right course for the movie to take, because it gives the events of the movie a sweetness that's somewhat charming. And while the movie is not hilarious, it's made up for in a large part by the story of the movie being so interesting, you'll wonder where it will end up.

Dempsey was a good choice for the lead role. He is very likable, and acts in a way that you understand why older women would fall for him. His character does do some stupid things in the movie... but he's a teenager, and we all did dumb stuff as a teenager. Another positive thing about the movie is that the period detail is very good.

Still, I could not help but wonder what people would think if the sexes of the movie had been switched. Just goes to show that when it comes to love and romance, there is a double standard.

Patrick Dempsey, in his very early film vehicle before LOVERBOY and HAPPY TOGETHER, played a lovestruck teenager known as the "Woo Woo Kid", circa 1944. He's the all-American boy who is always IN THE MOOD for women much older than him. To revive the 40s is an understatement; it could have been much more livelier and funnier the same way. When you first get a glance of this overlooked movie, it will almost be very puny and be best forgettable. This is probably Dempsey's best one, showing that he's been capable of being a kid out of the ordinary, and always ends up taking the wrong paths toward trouble. The "true" story of Sonny Wisecarver (which this is based on) seemed mightily uncommon and not often remembered to this day, but this piece of interest may catch your eye for a split second or two. Worth a valuable 49-cent rental.

Here's a different story: funny and appealing for awhile. I say "awhile" because on the third viewing of this, I must have gotten "righteous" because I did not appreciate adultery, pre-marital sex and sex with minors as something to be glamorized. It was in this film, sad to say.

Apparently based on a true-life story of a kid called Ellsworth ""Sonny" Wisecarver, Patrick Dempsey plays the 15-year-old kid who married two adult women in the 1940s, causing scandals. In this movie, Wisecarveer is made out to be a lovable, naive, romantic and sympathetic figure despite the fact he is an immoral idiot!

The first woman he's involved with, "Judy Cusimano," is played by a pretty actress with whom I am not familiar: Talia Balsam. She reminded me of Lea Thompson. According to her filmography, she's done mostly TV work since this movie. Anyway, "Judy" and "Sonny" certainly make a strange pair. There are some funny lines between them, but she's as morally bankrupt as him.

After those two are quickly discovered and the marriage dissolved, Sonny is now the attraction of older women everywhere. It doesn't take long for Beverly D'Angelo enters the picture as "Francine Glatt" being second important adult woman in Sonny''s odd life.

Although the movie glorifies all this sleazy nonsense, it is a fun movie to watch if you've never seen it before. The bright colors in here, the 1940s mood and atmosphere, a great '40s soundtrack and some genuinely funny moment and scenes all are pluses.

In 1944, `Sonny' Wisecarver (Patrick Dempsey) is a fifteen years old teenager having very weird and depressive parents. He gets closer to his neighbor Judy Cusimano (Talia Balsam), a twenty-one years old woman living with a brutal man, Carlo (Tony Longo). His sensitive and delicate way of treating her makes Judy falls in love with him. They decide to escape to get married in a nearby town. A few days later, Carlo calls the police and the couple is arrested. The cases gets publicity, and the tender words of Judy about `Sonny' makes him famous as a heart-breaker. This is the beginning of a nice and funny movie, with Patrick Dempsey in the beginning of his career performing a character who really knows how women are to be treated. A good entertainment, recommended for those who likes comedy. My vote is seven.