Surrender

If you're like me, you're a cynic about such things as "love" and "happiness". Both tend to be too complicated, and come at prices that aren't worth it.

However, you can still find time (and room wherever you keep your feelings) to watch a good atypical Romantic Comedy, starring Michael Caine and Sally Field.

I had never even heard of this film (and I thought I'd seen all of Michael Caine's feature films) before today. I have been a fan of Sally Field's since her "Flying Nun" days, but I really wasn't sure what to expect from a comedic pairing of two actors who have played such offbeat characters.

This film is from 1987, and it has "80s" written all over it (and a few of the "Hollywood cliches").

It does have an unusual premise for the beginning of a relationship, and I have seen that Rom-Coms from the 80s weren't/aren't as insipid as those from the 90s (or more recent).

"Surrender" shows how adults deal with Romance from a practical standpoint (esp. During the "Greed is Good" 80s), and it also works as an L. A. movie...maybe even, particularly as an "L. A. Movie".

Three very likable stars do a great job with an old movie premise...for about two-thirds of the film. Girl falls in love with wealthy man pretending to be poor, discovers his deception, feels betrayed....etc. etc. Sound familiar? It is, and Fields, Caine and Guttenburg do a great job...for a while...but even these three can only take a tired story line so far. The show fall apart after the slot machine scene, and try though they may, the cast is unable to eradicate it from the toilet bowl. There are some extremely funny scenes, especially Guttenburg's post-shower phone call with a client, and a lot of double entendre, but sadly, the whole thing comes apart at the seams.

If you've seen Intolerable Cruelty, you've already got a pretty good idea about this movie, which achingly examines the possibility of true love triumphing over mere greed.

Sally Field is a low income artist who is just looking for a real romance, not finding much satisfaction in her relationship with Martin (Guttenburg) a self centered lawyer. What a coincidence that Shuan Stein (Caine), a wealthy writer who have written over much of his fortune to gold digging ex-lovers, should be looking for the same thing. With a few moments of good timing, the two find each other. But, Shuan Stein secretly tests his girlfriend's loyatly by hiding information about his wealth, posing instead as a poor, out-of-work writer madly in love with her. And this is where the story is enjoyable, as Sally Field and Michael Caine charm the audience as conveniently matched romantics.

But, the story becomes a drag once the movie gets into seemingly endless bickering among the characters over matters of money when Martin asks Daisy to marry him and when Daisy (as you should expect) will discover Stein's secret. At that point, everything becomes talk about money, money, money and each character (except for maybe Martin who never seems to have a clue about what's going on) doubting if true love really exists. And as a result, the sweet love story we once enjoyed among Daisy and Martin in the first half is never recovered.

As a romantic comedy, it is a tolerably sweet and funny movie, for the first half. But, I think it ran out of steam as characters never quite seem to retain or even redevelop the charm that they had in the beginning, even after they've resolved their problems.

This is a good show by Sally Field (this is just her kind of part...kind of Murphy's Romance styled) and Michael Caine as the sweet English chap. As for Steve Guttenberg, I only didn't like him because his character was such a creep.

Michael Caine and Sally Field--reunited from "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure"!--in a curious but unfunny Rock Hudson-Doris Day throwback. Field has such a rapport with the camera that movie audiences immediately relate to her highs and woes. Her fans didn't turn out for this quickie-comedy from writer-director Jerry Belson, however, and yet it's gratifying to see the actress in a sunny bit of fluff for once in place of dramatic Oscar Bait (and one is nearly tempted to give "Surrender" a pass on the basis on Field's likability alone). It's a film built on an overworked premise--love vs. Money--and yet it goes off into many perplexing directions. Michael Caine does what he can with the silly role of a wealthy writer, taken to the cleaners by women over the years, who meets assembly-line artist Field and pretends to be poor--but, of course, she's the one pure lady who wouldn't care if he had money or not. There are some interesting bits in the film: a date to the airport--to watch the planes fly overhead--is unusual (and looks good on film); there's also the embarrassing way in which the two lovers meet. Still, not enough wit was put into the basic make-up of the story, which plays like something from the Doris Day-Rock Hudson generation. That's fine if the picture has the wit and snap of "Lover Come Back", but "Surrender" is terribly insecure and unsure of itself. ** from ****

I love this movie, it's very funny and uplifting. Play it if you are in a mood you want to escape. Indeed there are some belly laughs (on my part) Both Michael and Sally do a great job, and Steve Gutenberg is hilarious as a selfish whiny guy. He snaps his fingers when he is on the phone, he wants a pen, he wants a piece of paper. In the shower, he wants to know where his towel is... Michael is a successful writer taken to the cleaners in Court by 2 ex wives, and he is really looking for a girl to love him for himself, and not know about his writing fame and fortune. 2 elevators are open for him to use, one with a stunning blonde inside, the other with an evil guy and his snarling and vicious looking dog. He ignores the blonde and steps inside joining the man with the snarling dog I really should give it a 10...Highly recommended