wyldmanndan-1

Isabelle, played by Amy Irving, is an attractive thirtysomething single woman without much depth or character. She has a job at a bookstore where she gets to meet some interesting authors, including a charming but slick Dutch author. And there is a guy she sleeps with occasionally (old boyfriend? neighbor? married?) Her grandmother, with the help of a matchmaker, tries to fix her up with Sam, played by Peter Riegert, a nice guy who sells pickles in her old neighborhood on the Lower East Side, a neighborhood she feels she has outgrown. We all know who she is drawn to, and who she will end up with. The movie of course puts the characters through hell before we reach the inevitable conclusion, but I gave it 5 stars because my wife and I talked about the movie for 45 minutes after it was done. It brought up a lot of issues, as I was 31 in 1988, when this movie was made, and I lived through the whole nice guy experience. Sam becomes more interesting as the movie progresses, displaying hidden depths- and making us wonder why he is drawn to such a shallow woman as Isabelle. Is it just because he likes her looks? He's better than that. There are some funny scenes, some good lines from Sam, her Grandmother (Bubbie) and the matchmaker- but the movie is about her journey, and Sam becomes just a prop, given the unlikely attraction. At least there is the contrast between the old Jewish ways of Bubbie and the matchmaker, and Isabelle's more modern sensibilities, to give it some redeeming social value. I didn't like the movie, would not recommend it, but it did lead to an interesting discussion and a rare IMDB review from me.

Robbie, in a troubled marriage with a wife who cheated on him, flees to his aunt's country home, which happens to be a home for pregnant teenage girls. He does a lot of chores and handyman stuff around the house, and strikes up a friendship with one particular girl. The movie plays almost like a documentary, clearly on a low budget, but does seem to be a realistic portrayal of what such a home might be like. That part was well done. However, what was unrealistic is Carla, his aunt, will be present with the girls, leading discussions, giving advice, being a motherly figure- but then she disappears for long periods of time. One simply cannot leave a 30 year old man with marriage troubles alone with overly sexualized teenage girls- things are bound to happen, and they do. I kept asking "Where the heck is Carla?" Nor was our man Robbie a very sympathetic character. I wanted SOMEONE in this movie to have some boundaries. As a former foster parent for troubled kids, I wanted someone in charge who I could identify with. Overall, I simply cannot recommend this movie.