moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (05/24/85)
TWICE IN A LIFETIME (U.S.A., 1985)
Director/Producer: Bud Yorkin
Screenwriter: Collin Welland
Cast: Gene Hackman, Ann-Margaret, Ellen Burstyn, Amy Madigan,
Ally Sheedy, Brian Dennehy, Steven Lang, Darrell Larson
You'll undoubtedly be seeing this released around the country later
this year (I mean, its title song is by Paul McCartney) -- it has the
feel of a major studio "awards" film: prestigious American actors
performing a script entertaining enough to play to a general
audience, yet not commercial enough for a summer release. And, it
has the feel of a picture designed to garner acting Oscars: Gene
Hackman, Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margret and Amy Madigan are all in
the stable reserved for actors and actresses due an Academy
Award statuette.
The best capsule review I could give this movie is that resembled
what the DeNiro/Streep flop _Falling_In_Love_ would have looked
like if it had been written and directed by James Bridges, in the
style of _Terms_of_Endearment_. _Twice_in_a_Lifetime_ tells
the story of a factory worker (Hackman) who, upon celebrating his
50th birthday, begins an affair with a new barmaid at his local
tavern (Ann-Margaret). The film rarely gets into the reasons for
Hackman's decision (other than a rather nebulous wish for change);
it prefers to examine the effects on his family when the affair is
discovered and Hackman moves out. The low-key, understated
acting by all involved grant the film a realistic feel, yet it tends
to dull the viewer's interest in the plot unfolding on the screen.
Ellen Burstyn, as Hackman's wife, probably comes across the best;
she seems to fill in her character as the film progresses. Other
major characters, however, stay with the same chord through the
entire film: Ann-Margaret rarely rises above the
overly-affectionate younger woman who falls for Hackman;
Hackman reacts, rather than acts, through the film, so that we are
left knowing what he will do, but not why; and Amy Madigan plays
her "manic adolescent" role with the usual flair, as the one
character who seems to be outraged by her father's indiscretion
(but can she play anything else?). There are several other
characters whose influence seems diminished by the film's
two-hour running length; however, any greater length would have
probably changed the film's tempo from slow to tedious.
This was the opener for the 10th Annual Seattle Film Festival this
year, due mainly to the fact that it was shot entirely in Seattle. I
found it rather disturbing to watch a film shot with so many
familiar landmarks; one becomes disturbed by apparently adjacent
locations which are miles apart, and attention is distracted from
the plot when trying to identify landmarks. This may have
influenced this review somewhat...
"OW! Rubber spider venom! That's not fair!"
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
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