Faithful

Faithful all in all is a pretty disappointing movie. Cher is brilliant and gives as usual a good performance. But, Chaz once again plays that typical role (gangster, hit man, etc.). The movie has its moments but, not much else.

I just love this film. First, Paul Mazursky is one of my all time favourite directors and the performances (other than Ryan O'Neal's) are just top notch. It's a great screenplay, the editing is on point.. there is little not to love here. I say it when it came out and I can still quote it years later. It's a small film, no special effects, no spectacular stunts. But Cher and Chazz Palminteri have great chemistry both deserve much praise here and Mazursky handles it with his usual understanding of how people interact in real life. His "Next Stop Greenwich Village" is in my top 10 films of all time. But this is my second favourite film of his. A great director in really fine form... and it's worth a watch.

Comcast cable gave "Faithful" just 2 stars, so I wasn't sure I wanted to see it. But I love films Cher has starred in, so I watched it not expecting too much. It's a small but delightful film about the interaction of a woman and the hit-man hired to kill her.

Maggie (Cher) is an extremely wealthy housewife. She drives a Rolls, and lives in a modern mansion that seems large enough to house a hotel or resort. But she is depressed. Her husband of 20 years, Jack (Ryan O'Neal), has been neglecting her. They haven't had sex for months and she is sure he is having an affair. A hit-man, Tony (Chazz Palminteri), sneaks into her house and ties her to a chair. He explains that her husband hired him to kill her, but he has to wait until the husband signals (by phoning and hanging up after two rings) that he has reached his alibi location.

While waiting, Maggie tries to convince Tony to work for her instead of her husband. Tony becomes distressed and calls his psychotherapist, Dr. Susskind (Paul Mazursky, who also was the film's Director).

While this does not sound like a comedy, in what drama does a hit-man call his therapist during a job? Besides, there is the anticipation that Maggy will come out on top. She is Cher after-all!

Chazz Palminteri is excellent as the troubled hit-man. He also wrote the play the film is based on, and wrote the screenplay. Robert De Niro is listed as the Producer.

There are some minor problems that I didn't think about until writing this review. They don't really matter:

1. Maggie considers herself a housewife. But how does she spend her days? Wouldn't such a person have a circle of girlfriends who discuss each others family problems?

2. Shouldn't such a large home have a staff to run it? It has an elaborate security system but no staff to respond to intrusions? A cook? A maid to keep the many rooms clean? 3. Cher's acting seemed to me to somehow to be a little off, as if she didn't put her full effort into it. In other films she has been a superb actress.

The film was adapted from a play, so it is not surprising that nearly all the scenes are in the mansion.

"Faithful" directed by Paul Mazurski doesn't add anything to his otherwise prestigious resume. As a comedy director, Mr. Mazurski has done better. Unfortunately, he doesn't appear to have been inspired, by the story or by his cast.

In fact, one of the worst things in the film is the overbearing role of Chazz Palmentieri, whose Tony is one of the most obnoxious things he has played in the movies. Cher, as Margaret, the redheaded woman, married to a rat fink, doesn't bring anything new to the screen. She could do much better, but unfortunately, not here. Finally, Ryan O'Neal doesn't have much to do.

The best thing about "Faithful" is its 91 minutes running time! Sorry Mr. Mazurski, you need to stay away from whoever told you Chass Palmentieri's screen play had possibilities.

Ok, so it's not an action packed thriller, but if you're in the mood to laugh, it's a great movie. Cher's acting was wonderful when you consider the fact that it was mainly just her and Chazz Palminteri for the majority of the movie. I personally thought that Chazz's acting was excellent. I mean, he wrote the movie AND was the main character. To me that seems like it would take a lot of talent which he obviously has to accomplish such a thing. I've heard some people say that they were disappointed at the fact that Chazz played his normal mobster character. In my opinion, his best rolls are when he plays a hitman, mobster, etc, because you know he's Italian, and makes a great tuff guy, even though in reality I bet he's probably really sweet. Another comment I've heard is that it was boring. If you thought it was boring, see it again because you didn't understand it. Keep in mind that the strength of this movie is the witty dialogue BECAUSE it was based on a play and BECAUSE it was a play/movie that was from the perspective of a cheated housewife held captive. What did you expect?