T.R. Baskin

T.R. Baskin was a favorite of mine. I have been trying to find it for years. With a cast as strong as this, I wonder why it has never been released in DVD or video. I would love having some help finding this!! What resonated with me was a line Bergen had - How do you know when you are accepting too little for yourself or expecting too much? I have been trying to answer this my whole life.

I didn't remember that it was shot in Chicago, and I would love to see the 1971 shots of that as well.

And I remember the music too was excellent. Please re-release it!

Candace Bergen stood out as a performer in this. I knew of her acting before this - but she really stood out in this role.

I caught this movie one Sunday afternoon on TV at least 15 years ago and never forgot it (and have not been able to find it). I have searched for it on e-bay, amazon, here -- and can't find it.

Candace Bergen gives an amazing performance as a young woman starting her life alone. I would love to see it again ... as I recall, the scenes are very 70s and may look dated, but the story is timeless.

As I recall, it had shades of "Looking for Mr. Goodbar," but not as dark. I would say the movie has a sardonic feeling. Candace Bergen's character, T.R. Baskin, is smart, cynical and searching for her place in the world.

This film is in some ways a guilty pleasure--it's occasionally hokey--but I like it because it reminds me of the wonder I felt on my first few visits to Chicago (I'm a small-town girl too). I eventually moved there, staying more than a decade

before moving on to L.A.; my experience was, on the whole, much more positive than T.R.'s, but I can relate to her and to what she's going through. That's a good deal of this movie's appeal--the characters and the situations all have the ring of truth. Kudos to writer Peter Hyams and director Herbert Ross. T.R. may be lonely and lacking in direction, but she's also intelligent, feisty, and nobody's fool, and it's easy to understand how she feels as she tries to build an independent life and find personal and professional satisfaction. Candice Bergen's delivery of her lines is sometimes a bit stilted, but her performance is largely praiseworthy; so are those of the supporting cast, especially Marcia Rodd, James Caan, Peter Boyle, and Howard Platt (very convincing as a real jerk). The filmmakers also make good use of the Chicago setting, with shots of Carson's State Street store, the el, and other landmarks, and the movie's full of early-'70s atmosphere--the clothes, the music, the singles bars, and the fact that the modern women's

movement had a lot of work to do.

Chicago, early 1970's, looking gloomy and dangerous, and unfriendly. Young T.R. arrives in the Windy City hoping to find fame, fortune, or at least a decent and interesting life,far from her hometown of rural Ohio. Candice Bergen turns in a performance that you just have to love; her character T.R. has such an offbeat, yet witty sense of humor, and she is a real go-getter, a modern, free-thinking 70's girl who wants to make it on her own. The movie has an interesting structure, in that it begins midway through her adventure. By the time she is hooked up with Peter Boyle (another terrific performance) in the hotel room, she has already been in Chicago for a while and has experienced a lot. We learn of her experiences as she relates them to her "blind date," always with a sharp sense of sarcastic humor. The question the viewer has is, who is this mysterious guy Larry who arranged this odd meeting of strangers, and why would a gorgeous young woman like Bergen agree to meet an unknown man in his hotel room? Well we find out through flashbacks, of T.R. getting her office job, and becoming acquainted with the city, moving into a cheap tenement apartment, and finally, meeting a man, (James Caan) who sweeps her off her feet,and exposes just how naive and innocent T.R. really is... "T.R. Baskin" is truly a superb time capsule; it completely encompasses the mores and attitudes of the 1970's. Filled with location shooting around Chicago, always a fascinating city, like New York during that decade. T.R. makes us think about life, about the mistakes we make when we are young, and in the end, she brings a tear to our eyes as we see her inevitably lose the innocent quality that made her move to the big city in the first place. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. It's filled with colorful, funny characters and much insight. Sadly this is a forgotten title, never released for purchase on dvd or even VHS as far as I can tell. The copy I managed to track down is poor, and murky and the picture even jumps for about 10 minutes somewhere in the middle. Strangely this washed out old copy actually adds to the film's already nostalgic feel. I hope "T.R. Baskin" gets rediscovered, as it truly is a lost gem with an amazing cast.

I saw this movie when it came out in the theatres and I loved it. I haven't been able to find a copy yet. It is only listed on the IMDB. I still use many of the lines I remember from the film. Such as, "Do I have any mail?" to the mailman. He says, "What's your name?" She says, "Occupant" Not as a smart alec reply but more in saddness. She is 18 to 22 years old and applying for a job with a woman personel interviewer. The lady asks if she has been convicted of a crime. Bergan answers, "27 arrests, no convictions" The lady writes down "None"

The other characters are all equally memorable and touching. It is bittersweet and realistic, without becoming maudlin. I reccommend that you see it if you get the chance.