What can I say? When I had an opportunity to watch a movie for fun the other day as I was wrapping up my Christmas card prep, I knew I wanted something uplifting, hopeful, and entertaining. I went right to an old DVD in the collection that I had not seen in a while, and that is this week’s lone movie viewing that I will be reviewing today for my #MovieMondays blog, and yes, you are right – the calendar does say Tuesday but it’s the holidays. Humor me, won’t ya? If you haven’t seen this week’s reviewed film, then I am going to encourage you to check it out. But I’m getting ahead of myself a little. Please check out this late but earnestly presented blog. And as always, thanks for reading. ~ Chris K.
Comedy, Drama, Romance (1995) Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Michael J. Fox, Martin Sheen, Richard Dreyfuss
The news from Washington DC hasn’t been the most uplifting these days. It is easy to become jaded and pessimistic about leadership and politics. So while I was finishing up my Christmas cards, I decided more than watching LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) for the 13th or 14th time (probably), I would opt for something to make me feel more hopeful and still give me that romantic comedy feeling that makes my heart tingle.
Michael Douglas plays a widowed president who crosses paths with enthusiastic lobbyist Annette Bening and finds her intriguing beyond the words and ideas she conveys. (Of course, who wouldn’t?) Bening is at her most radiant, so who wouldn’t fall for this smart, gorgeous lady in a New York minute? Mr. Douglas is not too shabby either, capturing an almost Cary Grant-like charm I haven’t felt from him in other roles, even if I have always adored him since his days on “The Streets of San Francisco.” The cast is up to the usual standards of a Rob Reiner-directed film and Aaron Sorkin-penned movie or TV show. Everyone is perfectly placed in this story about the complications of trying to explore a new relationship under the spotlight and scrutiny of your always present staff — oh, and the American public, too. (One of my personal favorite scenes is watching the frustration build as the Prez finds ordering flowers for your gal isn’t quite so easy as you might expect.)
Reiner has become one of my all-time favorite directors, and I absolutely adore the pairing of Douglas-Bening who have a wonderful chemistry onscreen. It’s not a flawless script (there may be a few twists and turns that seem a bit ‘aww, come on’ but with Sorkin, that’s a given we just forgive for every other delight he bestows upon us). If you are in need of a sweet, simple President-meets-Lobbyist-and-falls-in-love tale, this is a gem. I can’t understand for the life of me how it rated less than a 7 on IMDB.com. I know that it can be tough to score super high on that site but that did surprise me. Look for the various future “West Wing” alumni to grace the screen in major and minor roles, clearly in preparation for the Jed Bartlet administration.
Great cast, great spirit and great reminder of what CAN be again. One day. Sigh.
Score: 92
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