Recently widowed Mabel Lederer can't get through her husband's funeral because she keeps hearing his voice talking to her throughout. Her friends and the minister look on as she tells him to keep quiet, and later on, no sooner has he been buried, she is getting rid of all the junk he had collected over the years, including an art collection she can't stand. With the proceeds of this yard sale, she buys a ticket to the end of the line, and with everybody she talks to on the train, she knows a little something about them that they didn't even tell her. When she arrives to her unknown destination, she meets the world weary Barbara Baxley who tells her of her sister's house where borders are taken in. Ms. Baxley also plays the sister, another recent widow, who has a wheelchair bound son whom Mabel (calling herself Angela Motorman) instantly hits it off with. She meets the other tenants and becomes involved in each of their lives, utilizing her talents to throw a séance where each of their own personalities and greedy needs come to life.
Estelle Parsons is in practically every scene, playing the eccentric Mabel/Angela who has an interest in everything and everyone. She's a bit dotty but not at all dumb, yet anxious to explore a world she has never known on her own. Her character is on her own trip to Bountiful without anyone interfering in her decision to go, and while she lives entirely on her own terms, she never does so foolishly or without contemplating the consequences. Yet, she has an obvious love of the unknown, and this makes her sort of a grizzled Auntie Mame who finds herself after years of simply being a housewife. Parsons utilizes more of her stage training here which will delight the audience who mainly know her from her Oscar winning role as the screaming Blanche in "Bonnie and Clyde" and the lovably obnoxious Beverly from T.V.'s "Roseanne". My favorite line of hers here is "I'm just trying out shoplifting today", which she does unsuccessfully several times.
Another outstanding performance comes from Baxley in her dual role, that vinegary voice a delight in her dual role as sisters who never cross on-screen. Of course, she's on more as the owner of the house who pretty much charges for everything but admits that she won't beat people up if she doesn't get it. Her characters are tired and cynical but yet still filled with compassion and human spirit. Young Martin Kern gives a truly believable performance as the wheelchair bound son who is equally as curious about the world as Parsons is. His acting is very natural and innocent, and his persona fits in with Baxley's performance as well.
As for the tenants, Sylvia Sidney is instantly recognizable as the sour but agreeable bookstore owner who shouts "I'm watching you!" at customers she's convinced are robbing her blind. She's very jealous of Parsons who attracts a fellow tenant whom Sidney has been dating and keeping a tight reign on. Her casting and the teleplay and direction of Joanne Woodward tie this in with two films Ms. Woodward starred in that were directed by husband Paul Newman, "Rachel, Rachel" (where Parsons received an Oscar Nomination as Woodward's school teaching pal) and "Summer Wishes, Summer Dreams" (where Sidney received an Oscar Nomination as Woodward's life-loving mother). Newman is heard, unrecognizably, as Parson's husband.
The séance sequence brings in some rather self-serving clients who all have greedy or emotionally selfish reasons for wanting to hear from the dearly departed. Of course, it all goes awry, not because Parsons is making stuff up as she goes along (like Whoopie Goldberg in "Ghost") but because her clients are all interjecting her with names of people from their past whom they are desperate to hear from. Like the rest of the abbreviated television movie (under an hour), the script in this sequence is totally off the wall with quick one-liners coming from each of the characters who are as off the wall as the script is. What could have been a forced farce with ridiculous stereotypes or unbelievable eccentrics ends up being perfectly fine. I just wish I had the opportunity to see more of Parsons' antics as the character continued her own independent journey as a fun-loving widow with lots of adventures left in her.
1 out of 1 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
