LOVE AFFAIR
A film review by Jon A. Webb
Copyright 1994 Jon A. Webb
LOVE AFFAIR is an example of a film actually improved by its marketing. The film is a remake of the classic tear-jerker AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, which played so prominent a role in SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (which was, in a way, another remake.) The plot has not aged well; the roles of women and men (not to mention the position of the differently-abled) have changed enough in forty years so that the pride that drives the final scene doesn't make much sense anymore.
So the film is badly flawed, but by playing up the movie's relation to their real-life love affair and marriage Warren Beatty and Annette Bening have improved it quite a bit. One is supposed to understand from this film the deep affection Beatty felt for Bening, which led him to finally settle down with her. Beatty's acting range is so limited that I did not think this came across, but the mere casting of Bening in this role, when she is somewhat past her prime (appropriately, given the context, but strikingly against tradition for Hollywood) makes one understand his feelings for her much more than his unchanging expression ever could.
There are really only three or four significant characters n the film: Beatty, Bening, Katherine Hepburn, and Gary Shandling, who plays Beatty's character's agent, in the exact style of his character from the Larry Saunders show.
I found Hepburn's performance quite striking, easily the best in the film. I do not think I have ever seen an old person played as simply and directly as here. It is quite daring to do this, because everyone will assume that she is simply playing herself. Perhaps she is, but we must also remember that she is a fine and experienced actress.
There are some nice travel shots. Tahiti is beautiful. I would say that taking a Russian cruise ship on a tour of the South Pacific looks like a nice way to spend a vacation.
In summary, the film is pretty badly flawed, and not worth the build-up it was given by its marketing, but it is far better than many critics (who must be comparing it with AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER) have been saying. It's entertaining, it has a nice solid romantic feeling and a singular performance by Katherine Hepburn.
.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews