ONCE AROUND
A film review by Scott T. Eggimann
Copyright 1991 Scott T. Eggimann
Capsule review: A well-done movie about relationships and fitting in. A movie that makes you think about relationships, love, life, death, family change, and just about every other human emotion. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4); worth the full price to see.
Richard Dreyfus and Holly Hunter reunite again as lovers. Their last meeting was in the 1989 hit ALWAYS. These two have a chemistry between them that lets us get carried up in their love for each other. These two are fun to watch together; Dreyfus always seems to be running around out of control while Hunter in contrast, seems to be calm and in control of her life. We never doubt their feelings for each other.
Sam Sharpe (Richard Dreyfus) plays a successful condo salesman who never really fits into the Bella family. Although he tries, he never grasps when to leave well enough alone. Dreyfus as the stereotypical salesman, interacts so well with everyone in the cast, everyone is effected by him. Whether positively or negatively, he does effect everyone in the movie. As the family's feelings toward Sam changed, my feelings changed with them. Is this the director conveying these feelings to me or is it Dreyfus? I think that it's Dreyfus as an actor.
And what is it about Holly Hunter that is so appealing? Hunter is so captivating that one wants to jump up into the movie and hug her. Hunter plays Renata Bella, the youngest daughter to Joe (Danny Aiello) and [I cannot remember her first name] (Gena Rowlands) Bella. Renata's life is in a state of disarray when we meet her. She's looking for a career and her longtime lover fails to commit to her. We cannot but help to feel sorry for her.
The action between Joe and Sam is what makes this movie funny. Two strong-willed men fighting for control of the family and ultimately Renata. The friction between them is fueled by the fact that both men are both very eccentric. Each has their strange and sometimes humorous ethnic customs that they strictly follow, even when circumstances do not permit the continuance of the outdated custom. In fact the funniest parts of this film are the two men acting out their customs, and the others ability to deal with the annoyance.
The satisfying part of the movie is we get to see everyone change. After all, it is change that is the only constant in life, we'd better deal with it somehow. Although the Bella family is slow and somewhat reluctant to change, the strength of the family unity is tested and ultimately strong enough to withstand the highly eccentric Sam. Ironically, it is Sam who does the least amount of changing.
A strong theme throughout this movie (more strongly in the beginning than in the end) is that you can never return home. Renata returns home after she breaks up with her first lover. The problems begin when she brings Sam home. I always liked Sam, after all he is trying to please everybody; he doesn't have a bad bone in his body. I had a problem with the Bella's hesitation to accept Sam, and Renata's happiness.
The movie did seem to drag on for a while in the middle, probably because of lack of a plot. Overall I enjoyed the movie, and I would probably see it again. I couldn't help but compare Joe and Sam to Archie Bunker and Mike in "All in the Family". On many levels Joe and Archie are very similar; they both have eccentric habits and are reluctant to accept their daughter's lover; Sam and Mike keep on living uneffected by their father-in-law's actions and they don't seem to care what is thought about them. Joe is no Archie Bunker though, in the end Joe realizes his daughter's happiness and accepts Sam for who he is.
Maybe we can all learn something from Joe Bella.
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