T.R. Baskin (1971) User Reviews

Bittersweet...or just bitter?

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 24 January 2001]

Having watched director Herbert Ross's "T. R. Baskin" twice now, I still have no idea why the filmmaker was drawn to the material or why Paramount gave it the green light. Written by the otherwise-astute Peter Hyams, our titular heroine is rather the antithesis of TV's Mary Richards: she's not about to turn the world on with her smile. An escapee from a small town in Ohio, T. R. arrives in Chicago and is immediately taken advantage of by her cab driver from the airport (but nothing is built upon this--it's just shrugged off). She finds a boring job and a boring apartment, she goes out on a boring blind date--the only thing missing is a boring cat. Played by Candice Bergen, T. R. Baskin isn't pithy or wise: she's deadpan nearly throughout. I assume Hyams meant her cynicism to be blunt and amusing, but Ross doesn't ask Bergen to deliver anything more than a sketch of the character (we get nothing about her background save for a phone call home to mom). The film's framing device is deadly: an ex-Army man (a young James Caan), who insulted T. R. after a roll in the hay, sets up her with a married man in Chicago on business. This plot device makes absolutely no sense, and Ross skitters over it, perhaps shamefacedly. Fortunately, the married man is played Peter Boyle, and he emerges as the star of the picture. With his pearly-pink skin, shy smile and alert eyes, it's obvious the movie should have centered on Boyle's would-be philanderer rather than on Bergen's squinting/suspicious working girl. T. R. Is disappointed by life; she finds the Windy City an alienating place, she's in danger of being swallowed up by the anonymity of city living, but will she fight her predicament or simply surrender to it? We don't know because Ross and Hyams want to keep T. R. a floating question-mark. Had T. R. been a tough little nut, we might have had something to respond to; instead, she only comes to life with a case of the giggles in bed, and even then we don't really know why she's laughing. ** from ****

TR? DR, PR, etc

[JasparLamarCrabb · 7/10 · 27 March 2010]

A wonderful, albeit very melancholy, movie starring Candice Bergen as a recent transplant to Chicago who finds the big city beyond daunting. THAT GIRL this isn't. From her cryptic name (T.R., but mistaken as P.R., D.R., etc) and creepy dates to her absurdly dirty apartment, Bergen gets hit with all that urban America has to offer. Bergen executes herself nicely in her most substantial film role (up to this time). She was fine in her small role in CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, but here carries a film for the first time. Director Herbert Ross wisely surrounds her with a first-rate supporting cast including Peter Boyle, Marcia Rodd (excellent as Bergen's acerbic co-worker and friend) and, in a very strange role, James Caan. Perhaps not as ironic as planned,

Peter Hyams wrote the witty script and hasn't produced anything as good since (either as writer or director). Somehow this movie's been buried for years.

A true sleeper

[jocrafford · 13 December 2006]

I saw T. R. BASKIN at the cinema in Colorado when I was a college student several times. I recommended it to everyone. I thought it was on a par with FIVE EASY PIECES or THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. I don't think Candace Bergen was ever better and (the now late) Peter Boyle was great as was James Caan. Many years later in New York I had the opportunity to tell Candace Bergen how much I liked that film and she said, "Oh, they hated it. They all hated it." I thought it was very well written, with many very funny and clever lines. There is a heartbreaking misunderstanding in it that makes for fine drama. I recall it had a subtle touching depth to it and I would love to see it again all these years later to see how it holds up.

Unforgettable

[tm-737-640750 · 10/10 · 13 May 2010]

I saw this film when it first came out and was deeply moved because I identified with T.R. - I lived her story when I first left home, including making big mistakes about recognizing when I was merely being used by men I thought really liked me, and the awful places you end up living because you make barely a living wage, and the loneliness - all of it. Every thematic scene in this film could be my own life, with only the details changed. I've never seen another film that comes even close to capturing this experience.

Today when I was trying to find this film, I was shocked to discover how badly it was rated by critics at the time. I'm glad to see that people here respect the film and that most rate it very highly.

I'm going off now to see if I can get somewhere. A classic.

Well done for its time

[avenuesf · 4/10 · 3 May 2016]

I finally got a chance to see a (poor) print of this film today after wanting to see it for years. I could appreciate its originality and sophistication for the time that it was made, but I was left wondering just what the film was really trying to say. It worked more as a character study than a film. The theme of the cruel and impersonal big city seemed to be a recurrent one in the 1970's (much like "Midnight Cowboy"), and seemed to be a symbol for the lost individual trying to find meaning in life.

I've never been able to believe Candice Bergen in any role I've ever seen her play, and this film is a good example. She's stiff and virtually emotionless in most of this, except for two scenes where her acting became so exaggerated that it was almost embarrassing; once where she laughs uncontrollably (more like shouts) when she is conversing with Peter Boyle and another at the end where she cries after a telephone conversation with her parents. They both sounded exactly the same, and were frankly kind of startling, leaving me wondering why the director allowed her to go so far and didn't ask for another take where she toned it down a little.

The "plot" never really goes anywhere. T.R. seems vacant, zombie-like and sarcastic, and the flashbacks gave me the impression they were being intentionally inserted to make a point when the film would come to an end. They didn't. The scenes in the film could have been played in real time as they happened and it wouldn't have made any difference at all.

There's some dialogue between Bergen and Caan in which she tells him that he "talks like a typewriter." I felt like this described a lot of the film; people don't talk or act this way, and I'm sure it looked great on paper. I can appreciate that this film portrayed a character and her experiences in a very different way for its time, but it didn't really seem to make a conclusion about anything.

To whom do we appeal . . .

[bob.decker · 8/10 · 1 July 2008]

. . . to get this movie released on DVD? I too am among those who saw it on television years ago and who remember bits and pieces of the dialog (like, to paraphrase, "It's like admiring someone from a distance and when you get up close to him you notice he has bad skin." If I recall correctly Candace Bergman speaks this line while looking down on Michigan Avenue from a high-rise apartment, perhaps in the John Hancock building, and it served as a metaphor for what she found out about life in the big city). Its soundtrack was also liable to turn up frequently in the 98 cent bargain bins and this is how I happened to recognize it when it showed up on the CBS late movie in the late 1970s. The Chicago location was unusual for a 1971 film -- well before pictures like "The Blues Brothers," "Ordinary People," and "Risky Business." Candace Bergman's performance, and way of delivering lines, was indeed mesmerizing, and this film's unavailability and obscurity makes unavailable and obscure a certain moment in 20th century American history that we don't think too much about; it is rather like the dark side of the Mary Tyler Moore show, a snapshot of a lost generation. Please, someone bring it back.

Tales of another city.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 15 April 2024]

She wants to die young and neat, not old and sloppy. T. R. ( which stands for T. R.) is a rather brash young woman from Ohio who shows up in the windy city and has an aggressive attitude that either makes friends or turns people away. Even the way that she informed her parents that she was moving (by telegram) indicates a coldness no matter similar it is to how Mary Ann Singleton in "Tales of the City" told her parents that she was in San Francisco, and had left Cleveland.

But T. R. and Mary Ann have nothing in common, and when she gets a job at an accounting firm, the viewer gets on a nostalgic look at early 70's corporate America, from the phony sounding welcomes to the red tape of the personnel department. Individual details are certainly more interesting than the brash character that Candace Bergen plays, and when she does show some softness (particularly with lover Peter Boyle), you have to wonder how long it is before she turns on him.

It's certainly a comic visual to see Frank from "Everybody Loves Raymond" having bedroom talk with Murphy Brown. Earlier she laughed hysterically at him (and not in a believable way) when they tried unsuccessfully to make love. It's cruel little moments like this that makes her difficult to find empathy with when things go wrong. Much more interesting are the physical details making you feel that you're back in the groovy days of a highly challenging world. James Caan as the pickup who mistakes her for a working girl doesn't show the power yet to come, rather empty in impact. Director Herbert Ross was striving too hard for art here and comes up short on a story of empathy and the strength and weaknesses of human relationships.

A wonderful movie I haven't seen in 30 years

[jeffskent · 26 February 2002]

I saw this movie when it came out in the theatres and I loved it. I haven't been able to find a copy yet. It is only listed on the IMDB. I still use many of the lines I remember from the film. Such as, "Do I have any mail?" to the mailman. He says, "What's your name?" She says, "Occupant" Not as a smart alec reply but more in saddness. She is 18 to 22 years old and applying for a job with a woman personel interviewer. The lady asks if she has been convicted of a crime. Bergan answers, "27 arrests, no convictions" The lady writes down "None"

The other characters are all equally memorable and touching. It is bittersweet and realistic, without becoming maudlin. I reccommend that you see it if you get the chance.

T.R. Basken - Where to see?

[mmcaskey · 10/10 · 6 November 2008]

T.R. Baskin was a favorite of mine. I have been trying to find it for years. With a cast as strong as this, I wonder why it has never been released in DVD or video. I would love having some help finding this!! What resonated with me was a line Bergen had - How do you know when you are accepting too little for yourself or expecting too much? I have been trying to answer this my whole life.

I didn't remember that it was shot in Chicago, and I would love to see the 1971 shots of that as well.

And I remember the music too was excellent. Please re-release it!

Candace Bergen stood out as a performer in this. I knew of her acting before this - but she really stood out in this role.

Looking for T.R. Baskin

[kim-miller · 9/10 · 12 March 2006]

I caught this movie one Sunday afternoon on TV at least 15 years ago and never forgot it (and have not been able to find it). I have searched for it on e-bay, amazon, here -- and can't find it.

Candace Bergen gives an amazing performance as a young woman starting her life alone. I would love to see it again ... as I recall, the scenes are very 70s and may look dated, but the story is timeless.

As I recall, it had shades of "Looking for Mr. Goodbar," but not as dark. I would say the movie has a sardonic feeling. Candace Bergen's character, T.R. Baskin, is smart, cynical and searching for her place in the world.

Amazing Time Capsule

[Falconeer · 8/10 · 31 January 2018]

Chicago, early 1970's, looking gloomy and dangerous, and unfriendly. Young T.R. arrives in the Windy City hoping to find fame, fortune, or at least a decent and interesting life,far from her hometown of rural Ohio. Candice Bergen turns in a performance that you just have to love; her character T.R. has such an offbeat, yet witty sense of humor, and she is a real go-getter, a modern, free-thinking 70's girl who wants to make it on her own. The movie has an interesting structure, in that it begins midway through her adventure. By the time she is hooked up with Peter Boyle (another terrific performance) in the hotel room, she has already been in Chicago for a while and has experienced a lot. We learn of her experiences as she relates them to her "blind date," always with a sharp sense of sarcastic humor. The question the viewer has is, who is this mysterious guy Larry who arranged this odd meeting of strangers, and why would a gorgeous young woman like Bergen agree to meet an unknown man in his hotel room? Well we find out through flashbacks, of T.R. getting her office job, and becoming acquainted with the city, moving into a cheap tenement apartment, and finally, meeting a man, (James Caan) who sweeps her off her feet,and exposes just how naive and innocent T.R. really is... "T.R. Baskin" is truly a superb time capsule; it completely encompasses the mores and attitudes of the 1970's. Filled with location shooting around Chicago, always a fascinating city, like New York during that decade. T.R. makes us think about life, about the mistakes we make when we are young, and in the end, she brings a tear to our eyes as we see her inevitably lose the innocent quality that made her move to the big city in the first place. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. It's filled with colorful, funny characters and much insight. Sadly this is a forgotten title, never released for purchase on dvd or even VHS as far as I can tell. The copy I managed to track down is poor, and murky and the picture even jumps for about 10 minutes somewhere in the middle. Strangely this washed out old copy actually adds to the film's already nostalgic feel. I hope "T.R. Baskin" gets rediscovered, as it truly is a lost gem with an amazing cast.

A comedy-drama with the ring of truth.

[trudyr_1999 · 26 April 2001]

This film is in some ways a guilty pleasure--it's occasionally hokey--but I like it because it reminds me of the wonder I felt on my first few visits to Chicago (I'm a small-town girl too). I eventually moved there, staying more than a decade

before moving on to L.A.; my experience was, on the whole, much more positive than T.R.'s, but I can relate to her and to what she's going through. That's a good deal of this movie's appeal--the characters and the situations all have the ring of truth. Kudos to writer Peter Hyams and director Herbert Ross. T.R. may be lonely and lacking in direction, but she's also intelligent, feisty, and nobody's fool, and it's easy to understand how she feels as she tries to build an independent life and find personal and professional satisfaction. Candice Bergen's delivery of her lines is sometimes a bit stilted, but her performance is largely praiseworthy; so are those of the supporting cast, especially Marcia Rodd, James Caan, Peter Boyle, and Howard Platt (very convincing as a real jerk). The filmmakers also make good use of the Chicago setting, with shots of Carson's State Street store, the el, and other landmarks, and the movie's full of early-'70s atmosphere--the clothes, the music, the singles bars, and the fact that the modern women's

movement had a lot of work to do.

Monologue.... Very moving, unforgettable performance!

[elettra-2 · 10/10 · 31 March 2008]

I saw this on a television set at home, so many years ago I forget WHY it made me cry. Have not been able to contact Miss Bergen to ask her about it. Of course, Murphy Brown was "required" watching. and I followed as long as I was in the Country. Without answers to my questions, I can hardly pad this into 15 lines. Autobiographically, I can tell stories similar to T.R.'s but I don't think they would draw a tear from anyone but me. As a matter of fact, more likely to make one die laughing. Career attempts in Europe and New York. Mother footing all the bills and never giving up on me, bless her. So after all this time, and deaths of both my long-suffering parents, I am becoming a writer, not capitalized yet. So after I am reminded of that superb performance by the Bergen, and after I have heard from herself, perhaps I can hold the proverbial candle to her sensitive portrayal of a girl seeking a career. Buona Fortuna a tutti !, Elettra

Candice Bergen, Peter Boyle and James Caan in one movie

[sr60630 · 10/10 · 23 December 2012]

T.R.Baskin (1971) is one of those orphan movies that Paramount would like you to forget. They don't seem the least bit interested in putting it on a DVD. You might still find it on Amazon as a download but the quality is poor. In 41 years, I can only remember seeing it once on television. It is time to write to Paramount to encourage them to release it on Blue Ray. They could release it as part of a Candice Bergen DVD set. Where else can you see Candice Bergen, Peter Boyle and young James Caan all in one movie? (10 lines of text? Really?) I was one of those lucky Extras used in the filming at O'Hare Airport. Being an Extra didn't pay much in those days but it was exciting. SR

Time for a DVD release

[sr60627 · 9/10 · 20 January 2011]

When will Paramount Studios release the movie T.R.Baskin (1971) to DVD? I suggest that every fan of Candice Bergan/Peter Boyle/James Caan write to the studio. They are located at 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California 90038. The website Cinemanow offers a download. I found that it is of poor quality. A DVD would be so much better. Let Paramount know. I had the great fortune to be cast as an Extra in a crowd scene at Chicago's O'Hare airport. I remember seeing Ms. Bergan in her makeup chair. I will never forget how much fun I had that day even though I prop I was carrying was stolen. I even got to see a screening at a theater downtown months later. You can also write to television stations to air it.

Should be acknowledged as a classic

[svrowell · 10/10 · 26 December 2023]

I have been obsessed with. T. R. Baskin (which is the name I know this movie under) since I saw it as a midday movie when I was a kid. I know it wasn't well reviewed on its release, being one of the occasions when even the great Pauline Kael got it grievously wrong (see also The Accidental Tourist, to name but one other example). Anyway, Candice Bergen is fantastic, going from cool as a cucumber to vulnerable in a completely believable way, plus making a fine fist of the script's many, many zingers. James Caan is also excellent, and Peter Boyle is wonderful - funny and touching, in a memorable performance. This is yet another movie that has subtleties that seem to be beyond even a lot of intelligent people and, in my experience, once seen, it is never forgotten. I would give anything to know what happened to TR - my guess is she either became a valium-addicted housewife because she ended up, in desperation, marrying some idiot; or she became an acclaimed author, whose life got better with every passing decade.

This is the movie that turned my into an ardent feminist

[leeeoooooo-16014 · 10/10 · 21 February 2022]

I saw this movie on one of the big networks on their big evening movie when it was first released to television...at a very impressionable age.

The whole story is told from her point of view and I was only a few years younger than the character and I identified with her completely.

Candice Bergen was simply awesome.

I saw it again in the early 90s on Lifetime but never again.

It was the very first movie I bought from Apple's iTunes Store because I absolutely couldn't find it anywhere else.

Seeing Dick Cavett 1971 interview

[sawznhamrs-1 · 10/10 · 1 June 2022]

I have always love Cavett interviews no matter who they are! Candice was brilliant in the interview and so was Peter Boyle. The very best part of this movie is when Candice suddenly strips and gets in bed, lets Boyle get in with her where he kisses her and then he cannot perform, after which she bursts out into laughter! She could really act to laugh this uproariously! I rented the film on Amazon and I am watching it a second time I enjoyed it so much. It is surprising how Candice cries at the end, because I had not sensed she was going there, but it shows what a great actress she is. I love the dialog, the plot and the fact it's not full of cursing the way movies and shows are today. It is intense character study that scores all the points for me. Oh, and the twenty bucks in the pocket--I felt he really meant no harm, but I understood what she felt. I'd recommend to everyone.

Stronger Than the City

[rewolfsonlaw · 8/10 · 10 April 2021]

Having just watched this gem of a film I'm reviewing it to counterbalance the remarkably unsympathetic marks it's received. I found it beautifully written. Many found Ms. Bergen miscast; I did not. I've known more than a few persons of her character's intellect who expected more from life and bore their pain with humor passing for disappointment. I moved to Chicago at 21, as does her character. The natural quality of her and Mr. Boyle's acting is flawless. Caan was more off-putting. It is a quiet film based on few characters in a single frame of a larger life, reflected in Ms. Bergen's silhouette. Her character is stronger and more genuine than the city around her. She, Boyle, the writer and director deserved more than awards. They deserve our thanks. 8/10.