Finnegan Begin Again (TV 1985)

Robert Preston is retired and taking care of his senile wife. He can't get her to allow him to throw anything out and their house has become unmanageable. He meets Mary Tyler Moore who is ... See full summary »

Director:

Joan Micklin Silver

Writer:

Walter Lockwood

Stars:

Mary Tyler Moore, Robert Preston, Sam Waterston

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Liz DeHaan
Robert Preston	...	Mike Finnegan
Sam Waterston	...	Paul Broadbent
Sylvia Sidney	...	Margaret Finnegan
David Huddleston	...	Jack Archer
Bob Gunton	...	Christian Jamison
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Intruder
Russell Horton	...	Mort
Avery Brooks	...	Dude on Bus
Peter Friedman	...	John Jewell
Jon DeVries	...	Dr. Binder
Frederick Strother	...	Elias Williams (as Fred Strother)
Ron McLarty	...	Leo the Bartender
Rick Warner	...	Charlie DeWitt
Jan Guarino	...	Ticket Seller

Storyline

Robert Preston is retired and taking care of his senile wife. He can't get her to allow him to throw anything out and their house has become unmanageable. He meets Mary Tyler Moore who is dating a man with whom she is hopelessly mismatched. They become confidants and each allows the other to share their life and experiences with them.

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Plot Keywords:

mortician | rhyme in title | columnist | lonely hearts | widow | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Volta Por Cima

Filming Locations:

Richmond, Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Consolidated Productions, Jennie & Co., Zenith Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Title character's name is based upon an old Scottish song that Robert Preston sings during the movie: "There was a man named Michael Finnigan. He had whiskers on his chin-igan. The wind came up and blew them in-igan. Poor old Michael Finnigan!".

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Quotes

Mike Finnegan: [singing] There was a man named Michael Finnegan. He grew whiskers on his 'chin'-negan. He shaved them off and they grew back in again. Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again.

User Reviews

Gentle, witty, funny, quirky and warm

"Finnegan Begin Again", originally an HBO film, features the great Robert Preston (in his second-to-last film performance) and Mary Tyler Moore in a lovely, gently quirky tale of a May-December romance. Mike Finnegan (Preston), a newspaper columnist who ghosts as an advice-for-the-lovelorn matron, is married to Margaret, a woman who is not only a few years older than he but also suffering from what is apparently (but unnamed) dementia; he accepts the fact that, beyond whatever deep love he may have for his wife, that she is, in fact, lost in the mists of her dreams and recollections, a state reflected in their once-grand home in a once-grand, but now unsafe, area: it is as cluttered with remnants of the past as Margaret's mind, perhaps even more so. By chance - and here the writers have cleverly avoided the "meet cute" - on the bus, Mike meets Liz Dehan, a widowed art teacher, who is on her way to meet the very married Paul, a funeral director, at their usual, seedy motel room. Mike fancies himself an arm-chair Sherlock Holmes, watching people for the sheer interest in them but seeing clues as to what their lives are like, and he openly practices this on Liz, much to her dismay. Despite this tense beginning between them, a warm friendship develops and they find that there may, in fact, be more than friendship at play. Much like other Mary Tyler Moore films, this is played as strictly "dramedy" and it strikes just the right chord while doing it. The chemistry between the cast as a whole, and Moore and Preston in particular, is palpable, warm, and real. The direction, by Joan Micklin Silver, is reliably sure-handed, and serves the film well. It's a funny, warm, lovely movie, one that should appeal not only to an older audience but those younger audiences with mature tastes. Currently available only on VHS, this is certainly a film worth discovering!