1980
Directed by Louis Malle
I asked my parents if they wanted to watch this film with me. Since it stars Susan Sarandon and Burt Lancaster, it seemed like one of the less frightening entries on the List. Still, about twenty minutes into the movie, my mom said, "I think I hate this." I couldn't help but agree with her a tiny bit.
Sally is an aspiring blackjack dealer whose life is complicated by the arrival of her estranged husband and her pregnant sister, whom he ran away with. She lives in the same apartment building as Lou, a bookie who frequently watches Sally wash herself, but somehow no one is creeped out by this. Their lives become even more entangled when Sally's husband tries to sell stolen cocaine and enlists Lou's help.
I feel like that was a really poor summary, but honestly, this film is all over the place anyway. The Book seems to think that the fact that this movie doesn't fall into any kind of genre is a merit, but it felt incredibly messy to me. I thought the character's actions and dialogue were startlingly unnatural. For example, at one point, the elderly lady who Lou takes care of (and apparently has old people sex with) started talking about how she dreamed of owning shoes with live goldfish in them. I think it was supposed to be a beautiful moment, but it just fell flat for me.
The film did have its exciting moments, but overall it felt forced and I was very happy when the credits rolled.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
It is rumored that Burt Lancaster would have won an Oscar for his performance if it wasn't for Jane Fonda's aggressive campaign for her father's, Henry Fonda, work in On Golden Pond.
Louis Malle and Susan Sarandon were romantically involved prior to filming.
This is one of those times that I think, "Oh god, I'll never have those couple hours of my life back!" The only thing that saved me was I liked the people I watched this with and we could laugh and make fun of the movie together. I did not care at all about the characters or what was going to or did happen to them. I was just glad when I could stop seeing them.
ReplyDeleteYeah the ex husband was just the worst. I was glad his role was cut short.
Delete