amjets0912 Reviews

My Body, My Child (1982 TV Movie)

A wrenching emotional journey...

[26 September 2010]

Eileen "Leenie" Cabrezi (Vanessa Redgrave) is a middle-aged mother of 3 teen daughters and happily married to fireman Joe (Joseph Campanella). As her children got older, she went back to college and became a teacher. As she is struggling to cope with the recent death of her beloved mother, she feels certain she is pregnant.

Her brother-in-law, a physician, refers her to Dr. Berensen (James Naughton). Berensen assumes, due to her age and recent bereavement, that Leenie's just a head case. He quickly dismisses her as not pregnant, prescribes some medication and hurries her out the door.

Devastated that she is not pregnant with the child she very much wanted and still grieving her mother, Leenie spends the summer feeling sick, tired and depressed and growing withdrawn from her loving husband and family. She's also frequently popping the pills doctors and family members have pushed at her, none of which are making her feel better.

During x-rays following a minor car accident, doctors realize that she actually has been pregnant all along. A new gynecologist breaks the news that the medications she's been ingesting, combined with her radiation exposure during the x-rays, leave very little chance that her baby will be born without serious birth defects, if it even lives.

The rest of the film shows Leenie's anguish over the decision either to have the baby or to get an abortion. As strong Catholics, she and most of her family don't believe in abortion, but Leenie also can't bear the idea of the child she already loves suffering. Redgrave is beautiful, vulnerable and heartbreaking as she plays these emotional scenes.

And Baby Makes Six (1979 TV Movie)

If you can stand a certain degree of predictability in return for some nice, honest and thoughtful performances, this is an enjoyable 90 minutes.

[26 June 2003]

This made-for-TV movie certainly has its corny and melodramatic moments and there are some aspects that seem dated, but there are enough laughs and enough good acting to make up for it.

Anna Kramer (Colleen Dewhurst), a busy 46-year-old homemaker, has a lot on her plate: planning a trip to Vienna with her husband (Warren Oates), finding out that her middle child (Al Corley) has been kicked out of college and is living with a girlfriend she's never met, trying to keep the peace between him and her husband, dealing with her critical mother, and more. In the midst of all this, she's feeling "weird." A pharmacist gives her a wink when she describes her symptoms and a visit to her doctor confirms her suspicion that she is pregnant.

Something of a family crisis ensues after this news spreads. Anna's dumbfounded best friend (Allyn Ann McLerie) is no help. Her husband Michael states unequivocally that he does not want another child and instructs her to have an abortion. Sharing his opinion is their oldest child, Elizabeth (Maggie Cooper). Elizabeth and her doctor husband pressure Anna, claiming health concerns, as does Anna's mother Serena (Mildred Dunnock). Her older son is supportive, but admits he thinks having the baby is a crazy thing to do. Timothy Hutton (as younger son Jason) is Dewhurst's only equal in this movie, and his character is the only one who seems to care about his mother's feelings.

When Anna gets past the initial shock and has a chance to think about what SHE wants to do, she finds she is inclined to have the baby. She is able to see the baby on ultrasound (fairly newfangled when this movie was made) and after that, she is sure she can't possibly have an abortion. Michael, who is ready to have all the kids out of the house and his wife to himself, gives Anna the ultimatum of the baby or him. Not wanting to see her marriage end, she decides to get away by herself to think and doesn't tell anyone where she's going. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as the cliche goes, and this holds true for Anna's family members, who see the error of their ways during her little hiatus.

Will they find her? Will she come home? Will she forgive them? Aaaahhhh!! The suspense!! Not really. It is pretty obvious that this movie is destined leave viewers with a warm, fuzzy feeling when it's over. But, that's OK. At least this is a show that isn't trying to be any more than what it is.

Anna, who's the kind of mom everybody wants, is smitten with her husband (even if Oates does portray him as largely an insensitive jerk) and crazy about her kids. She's also the kind of gal who appears to get her own way most of the time. In spite of this, she's a highly likeable character, Ms. Dewhurst plays her with great sensitivity and depth, and there's enough humor in the script to offset some of the trite and hopelessly sappy parts. The film raises some interesting issues and the characters rise above the usual cardboard cutouts on TV. A young Timothy Hutton definitely deserves an honorable mention as the kindhearted but somewhat offbeat youngest kid in the family.

Baby Comes Home (1980 TV Movie)

Having a new baby causes turmoil in a middle aged couple's lives...

[25 October 2002]

Anna Kramer, the "heroine" from And Baby Makes Six, a quirky housewife with a penchant for quoting literature, returns in Baby Comes Home and is again portrayed with depth by Colleen Dewhurst. Warren Oates also returns as Anna's classical music-loving husband, Michael, as does Mildred Dunnock as Anna's prickly mother. The rest of the major characters are portrayed by different actors in this film, an irritation in and of itself.

In And Baby Makes Six, the primary focus was Anna fighting tooth and nail, over the objections of her family, to have her menopause baby. Now she is dealing with the upheaval of having the new baby at age 47 and wondering if she has taken on more than she can handle. Many sequels are not as good as the original and this tv-movie is no exception. And Baby Makes Six, which came out the year before, had its flaws, but is a couple of levels above Baby Comes Home. Baby Comes Home picks up on the way to the hospital to have the baby, which is a bit before where the first film ended.

Now that she has the much-anticipated baby Sarah, the formerly self-assured Anna, though very happy at first, becomes increasingly concerned about her looks and aging. She is too embarassed to have sex with her husband and he does not help matters by giving her a membership to a health club. Before long, she cannot even bring herself to leave the house.

Her husband, mother, best friend and three older children do what they can to try to snap her out of her funk, but have little effect. Besides, her family members are all dealing with their own issues. Jason, her 17 year old younger son, an aspiring filmmaker, is beside himself about his SAT scores. So is his best friend, a key player later on. Serena, Anna's mother, who has always been critical of Anna's choice to stay home instead of having a career, does not like getting older any better than her daughter.

Michael is feeling neglected and he probably is. However, he tells an employee that Anna is obsessed with the baby and putting her ahead of him. We see no evidence of this, unless you count Anna interrupting a smooching session with him to go feed the crying baby. Really she is neglecting everyone but the baby, including herself, because of her depression. Eventually, a crisis arises and Anna has to decide to either snap out of her malaise or give in completely.

Both this movie and its predecessor were intended as pilots for a series, though the original aired on NBC and this one was on CBS. Having different actors playing Anna and Michael's three older children and Anna's OBGyn is a bit of a distraction, but can be overlooked. The fact that Shelley List scripted both films lends itself to a welcome continuity.

What Baby Comes Home lacks that And Baby Makes Six had in spades is humor. There are a few laughs, but a better sense of fun would have helped this movie. Where And Baby Makes Six tended at times to lapse into dialogue that Anna Kramer would call "maudlin and soppy," Baby Comes Home spends a lot of time wallowing in the corny and melodramatic, particularly in the delivery room scene, which we were blessedly spared in the first film, as well as in the "turning point" scene.

One thing I prefer about this sequel in comparison with its predecessor is Warren Oates's much more sympathetic portrayal of Michael Kramer. His voice and behavior were gratingly harsh in And Baby Makes Six. Fortunately, he has toned it down here and you can identify with how he is feeling. The actors portraying Elizabeth, Franklin and Jason, the older kids, are pretty flat compared to the ones from the first movie. I particularly missed Timothy Hutton, much more compelling as Jason than Christopher Marcantel.

Mildred Dunnock is good fun as Anna's mom, who does not seem to know how to show her daughter she cares. One cannot say enough nice things about Colleen Dewhurst, who is always delightful. She is clearly raising the level of the entire production with her abilities. A large and imposing figure even in her bare feet and towering close to 6' in heels, it is hard to imagine she could feel insecure.

These are good, interesting characters, but they needed some better things to say and do. I basically enjoyed this film, but I had a sugar high when it was over.

Within These Walls (2001 TV Movie)

Enjoyable TV-movie

[21 November 2001]

Within These Walls was a good way to spend 2 hours. It is one of the better made-for-TV movies I have seen in a long time. Although it may not be true to the facts, I did find it to be uplifting and encouraging. The idea of inmates training dogs was not new to me, but seeing it brought to life was cool. I am glad to know that some inmates out there are finding new purpose, dogs are being saved and handicapped people are getting helped (even if it is only a few).

Joan is a hardened, emotionless criminal. Most of the other prisoners seem to be afraid of her and just leave her alone. Sister Pauline is a nun with a complicated past who wants to get a program started at the womens' prison where the inmates will train dogs for the handicapped. She believes it is a win-win-win situation. It takes a little work to convince the warden, but eventually she, as well as the female guard responsible for supervising the project, are fully on board. A lot of human drama among Sister Pauline and the women training the dogs takes place, as well. We quickly see many little ways in which the activity is changing all their lives.

All that said, Ellen Burstyn is, as she always is, the glue that holds this piece together. The woman can act! She can play anything. This time, uncharacteristically, she is playing a rather unpleasant and unlikable (at least initially) character, Joan Thomas. Ms. Burstyn is aided nicely by Laura Dern (as Sister Pauline), never one of my particular favorites, but effective here. The actresses playing the guard, warden, and the other two dog-training prisoners are also quite capable.

I like the way that we get to find out bits and pieces at a time about Joan's and Pauline's pasts and why they are the way they are. We aren't just smacked over the head with it constantly. The filmmakers did a nice job of interspersing the dog training scenes with the scenes of interaction among the women. I felt like I was going through the emotional highs and lows with them. Ellen Burstyn has an uncanny ability to rip my heart out just by the look in her eyes, and she does it again in Within These Walls.

Overall, it gets a B+ from me.

The Wonderful World of Disney: Flash (1997) Season 1, Episode 13

Cute

[2 October 2001]

Flash is a lightweight, but entertaining enough, little family film. Lucas Black is appealing enough as Conner, but his southern accent sounds phony. It's too much. For once, Shawn Toovey (annoying Brian from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) manages not to drive me crazy, playing Conner's rich friend Tad.

Brian Kerwin is always perfectly tolerable, although here he disappears after the first 30-40 minutes, not to resurface until the end. He is fine as Conner's dad. Ellen Burstyn is cute as Conner's grandma, Laura, although what an actress of her caliber is doing in a flick like this is beyond me.

Of course, most of what transpires after the first part of Flash is highly improbable, but you do find yourself rooting for the determined Conner and his horse. This is a good, clean movie for kids, but as an adult, I doubt I'd sit through it again.

Resurrection (1980)

Not bad as a whole, but somewhat unsatisfying

[2 October 2001]

After reading positive reviews for this film, and being a fan of Ellen Burstyn, I decided I must check out Resurrection. Ellen Burstyn gives a good, Oscar nominated performance. While she does a fine job, and I'm not sure Sissy Spacek should have taken home the golden guy in 1981 instead of her, I am positive that Mary Tyler Moore turned in a more impressive performance for Ordinary People.

The overall story is intriguing and even touching in moments. You certainly feel Edna's pain at the loss of the husband she loves, her broken relationship with her father and her inability to have children.

Sam Shepard's character seems like a pointless, annoying addition. I believe the same message he was espousing could have been presented by some peripheral characters.

While the ending didn't entirely satisfy me, it also didn't necessarily leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. Resurrection is missing something and I can't put my finger on just what it is. The plot progresses in a rather aimless, hodgepodge fashion at times, leaves a little too much to the imagination and made me guess at what the point was a few too many times.

Still, I'd be willing to watch it again and see if I take more from it later.

Walking Across Egypt (1999)

Enjoyable, feel-good film

[1 October 2001]

Independent films are becoming some of my favorites, because you get to see great actors who aren't "big" enough to get leading roles in the studio movies. Ellen Burstyn, one of the biggest stars of the '70s, and still one of the most talented actresses working, has found new life for her waning career in independent pictures like Color of Evening, The Spitfire Grill, this film and most recently her Oscar nominated (which should have been Oscar winning) performance in Requiem for a Dream. After a string of 5 Oscar nominations in the '70s and early '80s, she found her best roles were in the past and saw her career take a downward turn, with 2 Emmy nominated TV-movie roles (The People vs. Jean Harris and Pack of Lies), a great part in How to Make an American Quilt and the lead in The Cemetery Club being notable exceptions to the many unsatisfying acting jobs she had in the '80s and '90s. Fortunately, she can still get great parts like Mattie Rigsbee in Walking Across Egypt and proves she still has what it takes.

This movie is a touching story about a lonely widow and a troubled but basically decent teen who has never been loved. Mattie needs someone to love and take care of, because her two spoiled children (played by Gail O'Grady and Judge Reinhold) don't really want to be bothered with her. In fact, her daughter wants to put her in a retirement home. She would much rather be in her house and near her friends and church, though. As Mattie puts it, she is "slowing down." But, she's sharp as a tack and can still take care of herself.

Walking Across Egypt does a great job of illustrating the hypocrisy of so-called Christians. Mattie loves God deeply (when she sings hymns, the best thing that can be said is that she does it with a pure heart) and wants very much to do what He would want. So, she reaches out to young Wesley (played with a new maturity by handsome young Jonathan Taylor Thomas), a 16 year old boy in the Young Men's Rehabilitation Center about whom she hears from his uncle, the local dogcatcher. When things go awry, her minister (Edward Herrmann), the very one whose sermon prompted Mattie's kindness to Wesley, shows some rather un-Christian behavior (as does his wife) that is the antithesis of Mattie's good intentions and of his own preaching.

The acting in this movie is all excellent, especially, of course, Ellen Burstyn, who is made up to look 20 years older than she really does. She is the heart and soul of the film, and, as usual brings depth to her character that can't be described in writing. Those eyes of hers always get to me and are her secret weapon in acting. JTT proves with this role that he is becoming a fine young actor and shouldn't join the ranks of has-been child stars. Another standout is the late Gwen Verdon's amusing performance as Mattie's ditzy neighbor. Mark (Luke Skywalker) Hamill is appropriately slack-jawed as the dogcatcher, Lamar.

I won't reveal any more details, as the viewer should experience the development of Mattie and Wesley's relationship for him/herself. There are some very funny moments, as well as some poignant and even ones that might inspire tears. Overall it is the story of a troubled boy who is looking for hope and redemption and how he finds it improbably in an elderly woman who is herself needing something to fill an empty space.

A Deadly Vision (1997 TV Movie)

Pretty much worthless

[1 October 2001]

The only redemptive feature of this made-for-TV movie is the fact that it contains a performance by Ellen Burstyn. It is sad to see that talented, Academy Award winning former superstar reduced to doing trash like A Deadly Vision (or Murder in Mind, depending). It features a hokey, predictable, overdone plot and laughable writing. Even Ms. Burstyn can't save this sinking ship. Watch it only if you are a diehard Kristin Davis fan, but this is far from her best work.

Same Time, Next Year (1978)

Heartwrending love story (contains possible spoilers)

[26 September 2001]

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This movie absolutely destroyed me for days after the first time I saw it. While I am categorically against adultery of any kind, I somehow forgot while I was watching it that what George and Doris were doing was wrong. That can probably be attributed largely to the chemistry and talent of Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda. There is so much depth in Ellen Burstyn's eyes that she often doesn't need to say a thing

The unique love they had for each other may have been due to the fact that they were only together for one weekend a year. They didn't have to deal with the day-in day-out mundanity of being married, so they never got tired of one another. Maybe they were both afraid that what they shared wouldn't be so special if they were with each other all the time. Who knows what was going through the author's mind.

I could feel myself getting weepy the second I heard that somewhat overwrought love song that played throughout the film (which I couldn't get out of my mind for days). However, I managed to keep hold of myself until the final scene set in 1977. As I watched, I couldn't help but be heartbroken for them and think that they should be with each other. They had a touching level of devotion to one another. [possible SPOILER] Imagine wanting to see your lover so much that you show up pregnant with your husband's child. Somehow Burstyn carried that off beautifully. [END]

I think the key line for me was spoken by Ellen Burstyn's Doris near the very end. When George tells her that his wife Helen has died and she says she wishes he would have gotten in contact with her when it happened, he admits that he did call, but hung up before she answered because he didn't feel he had a right to intrude into her 'real' life. Doris looks sad, then says, "That is just terrible. We should have been together." I wanted to shake her and say, "You should have been together long before that!" Alas, it was just a movie, but I cried my head off anyway. [END]

If you cannot handle a bittersweet ending (and I'm coming to the realization that I greatly prefer fluffy happy endings in movies like this), don't watch Same Time, Next Year. I think the idea that soul mates cannot be together is a profoundly sad one. George and Doris clearly had a deep level of intimacy that neither had with their spouse, but they were simply committed to their marriages. As a general rule, I don't think divorce is right except in cases of abuse and a few other special circumstances. But, what does a person do when they meet their soul mate too late? I cannot imagine having that level of feeling for a person and not being married to them. That is the issue at the core of this film. They can't be together, but they must at least have that one weekend together every year.

All in all, it is the acting that makes this movie worth watching. Alan Alda is not in Ellen Burstyn's league as an actor, in my opinion, but he does some of his best work here. They both do a great job portraying all the changes that their characters undergo during 26 years and really do seem to age. All I have to do is contemplate the film and that tagline, "They couldn't have celebrated happier anniversaries if they were married to each other" and I will cry, even now. It is a sweet, sad story of love that just wasn't meant to be, except for one weekend a year.

The Color of Evening (1990)

Slow, but worth the time investment...

[24 September 2001]

Max (Martin Landau), an aging classically trained artist, has been trying to paint the perfect portrait for 40 years, but has always failed because he cannot capture in his own work what he saw in another. He rents his lifelong friend Kate's (Ellen Burstyn) garage as an apartment/studio, gives art lessons to an eager young artist and tries in vain to sell his work at the local gallery. Max has never married, and there is a part of him that would like to recapture his youth. He finds a lovely young woman (Ione Skye) to pose for him, and while he thinks he's found his inspiration, he is left unsatisfied when the picture is completed. When Kate's male admirer commissions Max to paint a portrait of Kate, Max slooooooowly begins to realize what inspired the artist who painted the portrait he so admired 40 years earlier.

Despite the low rating my fellow IMDb users gave this film, I rather enjoyed it. The pace is very slow, but if you focus on the central story between Max and Kate, I think you'll find it touching. The peripheral stories involving the young model and the art student are secondary. Although I've never particularly cared for Martin Landau's work, I found him perfectly tolerable here. Ellen Burstyn has never disappointed me with a performance and there is always something in her eyes that touches my soul. She's one of the best, and a good reason to watch almost any movie.