spencer-w-hensley

I watch this movie every Christmas because it and its sequel are actually very entertaining for a Hallmark film sure cheesy and sentimental but still fun but the question on my and possibly others minds is what happened to Steve Guttenberg's career?

Sure it's fun to see him in these TV movies these and Lavalantula were fun but this guy for a few years in the 80's was tied with Gene Hackman as the busiest actor and then by the 90's that was all gone and it was all stuff like this.

Not to say this is a bad movie it isn't but it does have a strange feeling that this guy was one of the most popular actors for a while with hit after hit and just couldn't transition well into the 90's and beyond.

It's also the fact I think he's just a likable enough guy (he's very likable here) that I wonder why he doesn't have more mainstream success.

I get all his big hits in the 80's consisted of him playing the goofy likable guy Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby for instance.

Yet this was a guy who took some chances. The Bedroom Window was actually a good movie where he tried doing drama and is highly entertaining but despite good reviews did badly at the box office.

As for this movie it's actually good enough but you wonder why Guttenberg didn't continue to remain popular enough that this could have gone for a theatrical release instead of a Hallmark Channel one.

It's good enough and if this were in the 80's it would have been a huge box office hit because of Guttenberg's star power alone.

But since this was made in 2004 Steve's big Hollywood days had come to an end.

Crystal Bernard most famous for playing Helen on Wings is good in her role and has some chemistry with Guttenberg that works.

Still Steve Guttenberg is a guy I would be in more mainstream stuff as he was decades ago. Lots of people say he didn't take chances with his career but films like Diner and Bedroom Window say otherwise.

Guttenberg just seems like a likable enough guy whose presence I would like to see brighten up our screens again.

Meanwhile enjoy this flick for what it is. It's certainly entertaining but as aforementioned you will keep scratching your wondering why it stars one of the most famous actors of the 1980's who got sidelined from A list blockbuster star to grade-Z actor.

Fun watch but Steve it's time for a mainstream comeback!

Diane Keaton passed away last month. I have always liked her as an actress so upon the announcement of her passing I decided to first read the book.

This movie when I was growing up in the 90's was an occasional cable television staple, only appearing very sporadically on HBO and TCM. Apparently despite showing up there it only got a VHS release. The reason was because of music licensing rights.

So I know this movie for the longest time was also very hard to find which made me wonder if it would be a hidden gem or one destined to fade into obscurity.

Well thankfully Paramount sorted it all out and the movie is now available on blu ray and to rent on streaming platforms.

The book I almost couldn't put down. Despite being graphic it was so interesting I just couldn't wait to read what would happen next.

I figured the movie wouldn't be as good but I was still determined to watch it to compare and also know it's highly praised for Keaton's performance.

Right off the bat Keaton is really the winning ticket here. If she could have gotten an Oscar for her performances in two movies the same year it should have been for this and Annie Hall because of her excellent range in both.z

Well the Academy instead gave her the gold for Annie Hall while nominating Tuesday Weld for this one.

So Keatons performance is excellent with Weld, and Tom Berenger also being standouts. Richard Gere in one of his earliest film appearances is also good for the most part but does tend to overact at times. Sometimes it can get a little obnoxious, even though I'm sure that was the point of the character. He was still a few years away from his peak as an actor and got better later on.

William Atherton who would go on to be in Ghostbusters and Die Hard is also good but isn't given as much to do. His character was far better in the book whereas here he's more uneven with his emotions and motive.

Levar Burton way before Star Trek and Reading Rainbow also has a small but pivotal role.

The first half of the movie is absolutely terrific with almost everything unfolding exactly the same way as pictured when reading the novel.

The pacing is very good and the sets really made me feel like I was in one of the pages in the book. Keatons relationship with her characters parents and Weld her sister is also genuinely very interesting as it was in the novel and they are both so good it makes things even better.

Unfortunately the movie runs out of gas a bit by the time Gere's character comes in the picture. It picks up intermittently and the finale which I won't give away will stay with you forever and is well shot.

However in the novel the finale was a bit more abrupt and I wonder if that approach might have worked better in the movie.

The second half has some pacing problems and in comparison to the dynamic first hour it's a bit of a disappointment overall despite picking up on occasion.

So the movie for me is really uneven and the book is absolutely sensational. But because of the strength of the performances and the camerawork of the last scene I would say this is for sure at least worth one watch but if you want the best version of the story naturally the book is your best choice.

I admire Keaton for taking on this role the very same year she did Annie Hall. She definitely wasn't afraid to take risks and the risk paid off wonderfully here thanks to her sensational performance.

I wish the second half was as strong as the first half especially as this was an adaptation of a thrill a minute novel but thanks to some solid acting it still works.

One advantage of the movie is it does have a few humorous moments missing from the novel.

Also this is a very shocking story. Any die-hard Keaton fan or the very very curious will find something to like here. Anyone outside of that especially the faint of heart are advised to stay far away.

Before his breakout on TV's In Living Color five years later Jim Carrey got occasional lead roles in low budget stuff like this or in bit parts such as Francis Coppola's Peggy Sue Got Married or The Dead Pool with Clint Eastwood.

This is interesting to see his career warm up and I laughed a couple of times but just not very much.

Granted Carrey was still a few years away before really hitting the goods.

Lauren Hutton has some fun with her role as the Countess it was great to see Cleavon Little although his role could have been expanded. He actually got one of the few laughs out of the movie.

Karen Kopins who plays Carrey's girlfriend is fine and the pacing is adequate it remains effortlessly watchable.

So why a lower rating again I just didn't laugh very much. I probably laughed about four or five times. Again I know Carrey was just getting started and better funnier things were yet to come but with some other seasoned actors in this like Hutton and Little you would think the material would be sharper than it is.

It's mostly of interest as an early Carrey performance and nothing more. There are plenty of worse ways to spend your time but in the case of Carrey there are also many, many better.

You could start to see in this Carrey was a performer with promise he just needed the right material.

The acting is fine some of the sets are also very witty, I just wanted to laugh more than I did.

If you want to see a funnier pre-In Living Color Carrey effort check out Earth Girls are Easy. He's only a supporting actor in that one but I found it a lot funnier and far more enjoyable and inventive.

This one's ok for the acting mostly but the laugh meter is really low unfortunately. However Carrey had just a few more years before he got great. This was just a tepid warmup.