scheer-3 Reviews

The Deadly Look of Love (2000 TV Movie)

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"

[9/10 · 17 April 2007]

I am not sure this will be a spoiler, but I'll take no chances. Though I won't give the ending away, what I'll say about the movie might indirectly allude to it.

Lots of people dislike this movie - judging from the comments here. I saw it with an innocent eye. That is, I had no idea how others have reacted to it. Now that I have seen lots of very negative reviews, let me say this: Most of the negative reviews I have seen seem to miss the main point of the story, which is that "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." This proverbial truism comes from a play by William Congreve, "The Mourning Bride" (1697), where we read this: "Heaven has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turned, / Nor Hell a Fury, like woman scorned." Janet (Jordan Ladd) adds another dimension to the story. She is a kind of Female Quixote. She has read too many romances. And her fantasies take over completely. Would things have turned out in a different way had her lover married her? She seems to take the rejection in stride. Or does she? I'll let my comments about the story end there. I will only add this, Jordan Ladd does a fantastic job with with this role. She is worthy of both her mother, Cheryl Ladd, and her grandfather, Alan Ladd.

I guess I am in the minority for liking this movie. But I think I have good reason for this: an interesting theme goes a long way with me.

The Baxter (2005)

Where the title, The Baxter, comes from

[17 February 2007]

I love this movie for many reasons, but what I want to do here is talk about where the title comes from. Even professional reviewers seem to have missed this.

I am not sure that this will spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it yet, but I did check the "Contains spoiler" box, just in case.

In any event, the hero defines a "Baxter" as the nice guy who doesn't get the girl in the end. Claims this is what his grandmother called such men.

The fact is that the classic Billy Wilder movie, "The Apartment" (1960), featured a hero played by Jack Lemmon whose name in that movie is C.C. "Bud" Baxter.

That character does get the girl in the end. In both movies, though, the emphasis is not so much on some "mystery" to be solved, but on the fact that the course of true love doesn't always run smoothly. And that we don't always know just who it is that we have actually fallen in love with.

I love both movies. Perhaps it's a good idea to watch them back to back. That way the enjoyment of the one would add to the enjoyment of the other. They are different, but have certain interesting themes in common.