I was at 42 seen out of 105, and I've seen another 2 out of today's 11, just "Kramer vs. Kramer and "Shane". I've been meaning to watch "The Prisoner of Zenda" for years, I just never get to it. Same goes for "Rashomon", but I've never even HEARD of some of these movies, so it's almost like they programmed today's movies knowing that nobody's going to be watching because everyone will be busy having get-togethers celebrating Carole King's birthday. SO now 44 seen out of 116 takes me down to 37.9%.
THE PLOT: Emma moves to a ranch with her son after a divorce and befriends the older Murphy, but things turn complicated when her ex shows up.
AFTER: Love triangles are all over the place this time of year - I've already called that structure out this year for being the simplest form of presenting a romance movie. You just introduce the three players, pick a small town in America for them to inhabit, think up likely (or unlikely) professions for them to have, then just delay things until there's a final decision made near the end of the film. Throw in a local celebration or holiday, and you've got your movie. You can see the same formula here and also in "Hope Springs", only the setting is different (Vermont vs. Arizona) and also it's gender-swapped, but really, they're the exact same movie at heart.
There's a lot in common with "Places in the Heart", too, again it's just Texas vs. Arizona, but in both films Sally Field's character is a single parent (divorced vs. widowed, same result) and she takes over a farm in one film and a horse ranch in the other, and one's a drama and the other's light comedy, but they're really coming from the same place. I guess she plays a more competent business-person in this one, last night she couldn't even write a check! I'm also reminded today of "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore", both films have a divorced mother moving out west to make a go of things, and eventually falling for an older man who runs a diner or a pharmacy with a soda counter, not much difference there. Maybe when you get close to watching 5,000 movies you just sort of realize that movies have been telling the same stories again and again.
Just when Emma's starting to make a go of things with the horse ranch outside Eunice, she gets into a car accident and has no money to pay her medical bills. Murphy, the older but wiser widower who's also employing her son as a dishwasher, steps up by buying a horse at an auction and putting it in her stable, also telling all his friends around town to keep their horses there. Emma rewards him with dinners after his daily rides, but their budding romance is complicated by the arrival of her ex-husband, who needs a place to crash, and is even willing to clean the stables and tend to the horses if it means he can get back on her good side. But she clearly stated they are never, ever, ever, getting back together.
The film conveniently makes it easy for us to hate the ex-husband, he loots through her dresser drawer at night so he can buy cool things for their son, and it's probable that her bingo winnings paid for all that beer he bought for their "anniversary" party. Somebody needs to tell him that you stop having wedding anniversaries when you get divorced, anyway he doesn't even remember the correct date. Then he's got the nerve to tell Murphy that he doesn't approve of how close he is to Emma, even though Murphy hasn't even made that move (yet), he still resents the ex-husband blocking him. Murphy's too much of a gentleman to kick Bobby's Jack's ass, but somebody should. Also Murphy might break a hip, so maybe it's a good thing that he's got some manners.
Sure, there's an age difference, so what? He never really says how old he is, so we're left wondering, but he cleared his social schedule, no longer driving up to Phoenix for dinner (and breakfast) so he's available, he owns his own business, he knows about horses and (really) classic cars, and he doesn't steal or cheat at cards, so really, who cares how many candles are on the birthday cake? Plus he's willing to spend whatever time he has left at the ranch, if only the stupid, dishonest ex-husband would get out of the way. Sure, Jake loves spending time with his father, but is he really even a good influence? Come on, it's Maverick! Jim Rockford! This should be a no-brainer, why is this decision even difficult at all? Wouldn't you rather play bingo with him than watch horrible slasher films with your ex?
They apparently filmed this in Arizona, they found that town where all the actors from the 1940's and 1950's movies that are still alive went to retire, that probably saved a lot of trouble when they were casting. How else can you explain that the guy who played notable roles in "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" was just walking down the road? It's a very liberal town, they grow marijuana with the tomatoes, only you can't get an abortion there.
Directed by: Martin Ritt (director of "Stanley & Iris")
Also starring James Garner (last seen in "Fire in the Sky"), Brian Kerwin (last seen in "The Myth of Fingerprints"), Corey Haim (last seen in "The Lost Boys"), Dennis Burkley (last seen in "Fathers' Day"), Georgann Johnson (last seen in "Quicksilver"), Dortha Duckworth (last seen in "Stanley & Iris"), Michael Prokopuk, Billy Ray Sharkey (last seen in "The Grifters"), Michael Crabtree (last seen in "The Life of David Gale"), Anna Thomson (last seen in "Desperately Seeking Susan"), Charles Lane (last seen in "The Mating Game"), Bruce French (last seen in "Beginners"), John C. Becher (last seen in "Gremlins"), Henry Slate (last seen in "Bus Stop"), Tom Rankin, Peggy McCay, Carole King (last seen in "The Wrecking Crew!"), Ted Gehring (last seen in "The Parallax View"), Joshua Ravetch, Eugene Cochran, Gene Blakely (last seen in "The Prisoner of Second Avenue"), Sherry Lynn Amorosi, Patricia Ann Willoughby, Mike Casper, Hugh Burritt, Marian Gibson, John Higgenbotham, Drasha Meyer
RATING: 6 out of 10 root beer floats (OK, now go celebrate Carole King's birthday with your friends!)
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