Promises in the Dark

The bottom line is that this is part melodrama, part character study. Mason and Beller give excellent performances. Clark does, too; but Beatty's character feels like an afterthought, making it hard to judge his performance.

At the time this movie was made, the subject was topical. Cancer was in the throes of coming to the forefront of conversations; and it was movies like this that confronted the viewer with certain realities not addressed before. That being said, there are some elements that don't jive, as the IMDb reviewer who rated it 3 points out.

It drags around the middle mark; nonetheless, the directing is actually pretty good. The music score is tender. The "extra songs" are a nice touch. This was about the time that movies started incorporating Billboard Top 20 selections, which would change the face of movie soundtracks forever.

Good, but not fantastic. A definite for fans of Marsha Mason.