FAITHFUL
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.0 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 4/3/96 (wide) Running Length: 1:31 MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, sexual situations, violence) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Cher, Chazz Palminteri, Ryan O'Neal Director: Paul Mazursky Producers: Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro Screenplay: Chazz Palminteri based on his play Cinematography: Fred Murphy Music: Phillip Johnston U.S. Distributor: New Line Cinema/Savoy Pictures
"Faithful is when you've got more to lose than to gain."
- Chazz Palminteri, FAITHFUL
Despite what the advertisements imply, FAITHFUL is less of a black comedy than a disquieting drama laced with wit. Adapted by Chazz Palminteri from his off-Broadway play, the film, as directed by Paul Mazursky (DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS), unfolds like a three-act theatrical piece: lots of dialogue and not much action. Only three actors have significant roles, and there are a limited number of sets.
Cher plays Maggie, an unhappy housewife who, on the twentieth anniversary of her marriage to an unfaithful husband, Jack (Ryan O'Neal), decides to kill herself. But, before she can down the bottle of pills, she receives a visitor. Tony (Chazz Palminteri), a trash- talking, borderline-manic mafia hit man ostensibly hired by Jack, breaks into her palatial home, ties her up, then tells her he's going to murder her. Unfortunately, he has to wait for Jack's go-ahead signal, and, to pass the time, he and Maggie converse about everything from the CLERKS- like question of what really constitutes sex to why couples stay together when a marriage is dead.
At one point, Tony confesses that he has "problems like everyone else." In fact, however, his trauma runs much deeper than the average person's. Both he and Maggie are in therapy (in fact, Tony calls his shrink from the scene of the hit), and Jack should probably join them. These are three very disturbed individuals, none of whom is satisfied with the status quo. Maggie sees her marriage, and, by extension, her life, as a failure. Tony is saddled by guilt at the part he played in his beloved sister's death. And Jack is looking for a way to pacify his young, impatient girlfriend. For over an hour, FAITHFUL allows this trio of characters to work through their problems. They argue, shout, plead, cajole, and, at long last, understand and accept.
The script attempts to incorporate a mystery element into the drama: who actually hired Tony? Was it really Jack, or did Maggie, lacking the courage to end her own life, put out a contract on herself? (Remember BULLETPROOF HEART, where Mimi Rogers paid Anthony LaPaglia to eliminate her?) Was it a third party, perhaps Jack's girlfriend? Or does Tony have the wrong address? Answering that question, however, is far less compelling than watching these characters confront their inner demons by railing against each other.
Cher, who hasn't done much since 1990's MERMAIDS, is effectively subdued as Maggie. She's as believable when her character is in the depths of despair as when she decides that she doesn't want to die, after all. Chazz Palminteri, who has done some very good (A BRONX TALE) and very bad (JADE) work in the past, is in top form here. He doesn't have the most screen time, but he gets all the best lines. Ryan O'Neal is adequate as the philandering husband, although FAITHFUL demands less from him than from the other two.
At times, FAITHFUL is amusing, although most of the humor is of the gallows variety (such as Tony's objection to Maggie's having a last cigarette because of the danger to him from secondary smoke). More importantly, the unique perspectives created by the unusual situation allow the film to offer insight into the issues of fidelity, love, and marriage. FAITHFUL has a tendency to be too talky, and each of the last two acts runs on a little too long, but this isn't an unreasonable price to pay for a movie that poses several thought-provoking questions. And, although Palminteri doesn't write with the verve of David Mamet, he employs enough crisp dialogue in the service of an interesting premise to keep the audience involved for most of the ninety-minute running length.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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