my 2 cents

Again with the reviews that kept me away that turned out to be BOGUS. (Why--WHY do I read reviews? I never find them to be accurate in any way) But there is very little, if anything, that can keep me away from Jeff Bridges. He is divine. I cannot even begin to explain the strength of his appeal but I'm sure it has something to do with his sweet, smart, gruff, playful, quirky, preppy, energy and his absolute LACK of arrogance. God, he is just so YUM.

So, I am going into the film just to enjoy him believing (due to the evil reviews) that this will be a schmaltzy, predictably sentimental film. And, I should point out, that I am not a fan of Kim Basinger, to put it mildly (though she was tolerable in L.A. Confidential).

Then you can imagine my surprise when the film turned out to please me on many, many counts. Mr. Jeff Bridges, the impeccable, the illustrious, the sublime-- did not disappoint. Oh no. He ruled. He towered. He became a fully realized character that blew me away. And did I LOVE the crazy outfits? The caftan for squash? The borrowed pink ensemble? Oh how I loved it and no one, NO ONE else could ever pull it off the way he did. It was seamless-- from doting papa to cruel husband to selfish mentor.

But you know I am partial to him-- so, for you perhaps, not so much surprise. But Kim Basinger? The first film EVER that I thought she was absolutely terrific. Terrific. The scene where she turns to stone was art. Just amazing.

The story? Yeah, so sure-- a bit thin-- but who cares-- the acting was sublime and the setting was YUM and I like the editing-- scenes were as smartly juxtaposed as they could be. Roger Ebert took exception to the sex between a 16 year-old and a 40 something woman (did I mention Kim Basinger looked fantastic and has inspired me to get back into the gym?). To Roger Ebert I say-- EAT ME. You don't care about the sex scenes, that was a totally political statement so you didn't get a mailbox full of hate mail from the bible belt or whoever it is that reads your column. How many films are made every day with teenage girls bopping older men? Puh-leeeze. Spare me.

Overall, this was a very tactile film-- the smells, touch, textures--- drew me in deeply. It will not teach you anything and you probably won't come out of it a better person-- but it is a very good film and I enjoyed it thoroughly. (Although, the very, very, very last scene? Not so much-- thought that was a sophomoric finish. But that's just me).

updated: September 21, 2004

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