INTERSECTION
A film review by Mark Takacs
Copyright 1994 Mark Takacs
Paramount Films / rated R
Starring: Richard Gere Sharon Stone Jennifer Morrison
Lolita Davidovich Martin Landau
Tak Classification: Romance Drama
Tak Rating: avoid it at all costs
One-Line-Summary ---------------- A man, his wife, his daughter, his lover, his memories and his problems.
Tak Plot Summary ---------------- Vincent Eastman (Richard Gere) is a successful architect with Sally (Sharon Stone), his wife and business partner of sixteen years, and a lovely daughter (Jennifer Morrison). His newfound love, Olivia Marshak (Lolita Davidovich), fills a void in Vince's life and is more than he can resist. He suffers lots of angst as tries to choose between his family history, or his happiness with Olivia.
Tak Thoughts ------------ Lame Lame Lame. There doesn't seem to be a point to INTERSECTION, other than to study Gere's character. At one point Vince yells at Olivia, "It's not about you, it's about me!" How true. The whole movie is set up so we can identify with his problems, his emotions, his turmoil, his everything. One problem. I didn't. Vince is a dweeb. I wished he would get it together and stop being indecisive.
The movie takes place over the span of about a week, with *frequent* flashbacks where Vince remembers and daydreams. We see his happy memories with Sally, his growing dissatisfaction, his meeting with Olivia, his break with Sally, and his time as ex-husband and single father. Of course Vince thinks highly of himself.
INTERSECTION's one action scene is the car crash featured in all the commercials. Because of this, I initially thought the movie might be something like REGARDING HENRY, with a tragic accident and the aftermath. Nope. Instead, we suffer through lots of Vince's problems first. And when the crash finally happens, the filmmakers get pretty excited about it. So excited that it is heavily foreshadowed and even shown twice. First we get the two-minute slo-mo version where everyone makes their favorite anguished Sly Stallone faces, and then after the comment--"I didn't have time to react, it all happened so fast..."--we get to see exactly how fast two seconds is.
Sharon Stone once again successfully avoids being sexy. Unlike in the stinker SLIVER, I think this time it was intentional. At one point Vince remembers (and we see) a "quickie" at a family gathering that is actually humorously sad. Poor Vince, no wonder he left.
I wouldn't have noticed this a year ago, but this movie is just monstrously *male*. Everything supports Vincent. Olivia's stated goal--"I just want to make your father happy". The glimpses of Megan shows she still loves Dad and wants to be with her father, even inviting him "out to the island" for Easter with Mom. Sally even tries to seduce her ex-husband--"what's a girl need to do to get some action around here", but stops herself, saying "oh, where did that come from?"
The ending was out of place ... after everything that happens, we are left with the distinct impression that everyone, wife AND lover, still loves Vince, that romantic rascal. Bah. I don't believe it. The heroic strength of "character" at the end is kind of insulting.
Tak Rating system: ------------------ I didn't like this film. I won't recommend this film. I won't even watch this film again. There wasn't enough going on to keep my interest, either emotionally or intellectually. Maybe some of you will like INTERSECTION, but I doubt it.
X avoid at all costs
watch it on cable
wait for videotape
see once as a matinee
see several times (w/friends) as matinee
see once at full price
see it several times - full and/or matinee
see many times at full price
.
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