Leave of Absence (1994) (TV)

Director:

Tom McLoughlin

Writers (WGA):

Polly Bergen (story)
Betty Goldberg (teleplay)

Release Date:

11 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Extramarital Affair | Husband Wife Relationship | Mistress

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Brian Dennehy	...	Sam
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Nell
Blythe Danner	...	Elisa
Polly Bergen
Noelle Parker	...	Zoey
Tim Lounibos	...	David Sue
Jessica Walter	...	Bess
Grayce Spence	...	Phyllis
Michael Burgess	...	Jerry
Tonea Stewart	...	Cora Winsor
Tom Atwater	...	Richard
Elizabeth Grillo Barbeau	...	Nurse
James Burgess	...	Young Man
Angelo Pope	...	Kid
Susan Rohrer	...	Woman

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Grossbart Barnett Productions

Soundtrack:

SYMPHONY NO. 1

Zero sympathy for immoral characters

I really can't stand how TV-movies continue to generate these virtually terrible, immoral characters and expect people to like them. This makes no sense to me. These people would not be receiving any sort of a reward for their behavior in reality, so please don't subject audiences to stories about them!

The character of disgust is played by Brian Dennehey, of all people. He is a middle-aged man with a wife (Blythe Danner) and a daughter in her late teens (Noelle Parker) and his life seems fairly happy right now, as he lives each day with the family and even gets to go to work with his daughter, who works with him at a museum (?). Unfortunately, she is not the only woman working for him. There is another woman, an architect called Nell. Nell likes Brian, Brian likes Nell, and they began a torid, but secret affair...until Nell is stricken with cancer. Now Dennehey can no longer keep his affair a secret. Not only does he tell his wife and daughter about his loving Nell, he drops another bomb shell by announcing that he wants to LIVE WITH HER until she dies...and then he plans to return home as though nothing has happened!

Dennehey's character is faced with much resistance from Danner and Parker, of course, but he nevertheless goes and starts to live with Nell, who is getting worse. In fact, Nell's health becomes so poor in such a short time that one can almost feel sorry for her, and even feel glad for Dennehey...if he had not done what he did to his family. However, judging fron how much time Dennehey and Nell receive, I think the audience is supposed to ACCEPT what Dennehey has done, and hope that his family will let him back when Nell returns. I don't think so!

I get tired of the immoral plots of much TV-movies, and this is no exception. What's even worse is that MOST immoral characters in TVM's are seen as villains, and this one goes and makes their guy a hero? Who ARE the writers of this movie?