In The Mood (1987)
Grade: 73
"In the Mood" is a light comedy based on the true story of Sonny Wisecarver, a fifteen-year-old boy who made national headlines in 1944. With the Normandy invasion pending, the media was looking for some 'comic relief' and found it in Wisecarver, who had married a woman in her twenties. He was labelled the "Woo-Woo Kid", but according to Wisecarver, he was "just looking for a nice girl his age."
"In the Mood" has the outward appearance of a love story, but the film is one big wink to the audience. It isn't relevant how accurate the film is, that is, whether Wisecarver (played by Patrick Dempsey) was actually as sweet and innocent as he is portrayed. What is important is that the comedy works, that the humor is subtle rather than obvious. The troubles that Wisecarver continually gets into are delivered as comedy rather than as drama, and we are too busy laughing at him to take him seriously.
"In the Mood" did not do well at the box office, won no awards, and got middling critical reviews. But a good subtle comedy can be as rare as a snowfall in Acapulco, and "In The Mood" deserves a second look.
The real Sonny Wisecarver has a cameo as a mailman in the newsreel. He calls Wisecarver a "pervent" and a "communist". Okay, it's funny, but there really is a message: you shouldn't judge celebrities from their publicity.
kollers@mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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