Esmollin

I am just finishing up season one. First, it could have been a great drama without the over the top forced comedy. The characters are almost caricatures, so obviously written. Still, some are likable. I felt sorry for the son Quin, adrift in his dysfunctional family.

At times the actions strain credibility. Quin's sister and friend force him to sleep in the hot kitchen, then outside? I suppose it's possible.

Several other characters' actions also stretch belief. I suppose that's the comedy.

The cinematography is beautiful. But hey, it's Hawaii. The lush scenery is put to good use. The music is at times enjoyable but sometimes too loud and intrusive, distracting from the dialogue. Or maybe that's on purpose to enhance otherwise mundane writing?

This reminded me of Nine Perfect Strangers, which I enjoyed, but that had more going for it in substance and writing. I will go on to season two, hoping for a better experience.

I was fortunate to have seen the revival of the Broadway show three times. Prices were a bit cheaper then. This movie is vastly different from the show. The similarities are; the music, the characters, the setting. That's it.

The plot is entirely different. The characters may be the same but it's like they stepped into another story. The songs are interspersed where they seemed to fit, but to me they feel wrong. Most of the movie is wrong - in my humble opinion. This seems like Hollywood's attempt to remake Hair with the same music. I wish the show was available online.

At least I have my memories.

The opening credits appear slowly in a large picture book as a woman turns the page. It seems unending. I thought, finally, it has to get better, sadly, I was wrong. In the first five minutes at least four people are almost hit by cars. Even Madelyn Kahn can't save this boring, annoying mess. Barbra Streissand is extremely annoying as an aggressive woman who seems to appear out of nowhere, stalking Ryan O'Neil, but no, that's supposed to be cute and funny. It just stumbles along.

The idea is that four identical suitcases carried by people in the same city, San Francisco, at the same time, will involve hilarious mixups. Wrong. I stopped trying to follow the ridiculous plot, replete with Barbra hanging off a high building, for laughs of course, and a television bursting into flames. I did not make it to the end. I would have loved to see more of San Francisco and less people falling down.