Parallel Lives (1994) (TV)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Linda Yellen

Writers:

Gisela Bernice (writer)
Linda Yellen (story)

Release Date:

14 August 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

This is a nostalgic look at the typical "Class Reunion" of a group after about a quarter of a century of going their separate ways after graduation...

Cast

James Belushi	...	Nick Dimas
Liza Minnelli	...	Stevie Merrill
Michael O'Rourke	...	Kirk O'Brien
James Brolin	...	Professor Spencer Jones
Helen Slater	...	Elsa Freedman
LeVar Burton	...	Dr. Franklin Carter
Jack Klugman	...	Senator Robert Ferguson
Grant Varjas	...	Grayson Stone
Patricia Wettig	...	Rebecca Ferguson Stone
Ben Gazzara	...	Charlie Duke
Mira Sorvino	...	Matty Derosa
Lindsay Crouse	...	Una Pace
Paul Sorvino	...	Ed Starling
Matthew Perry	...	Willie Morrison
David Lansbury	...	Tim Farley

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Showtime Networks

Trivia:

Almost entirely improvised by the actors.

Soundtrack:

Parallel Lives

Beware! Improv at work...

Improv is one of those wonderful acting tools that, in recent times, has grown to become painfully overrated and overused. While occasionally, a Robert De Niro or Harvey Keitel might be able to pull it off, improvisation is a tricky thing to make compelling and in the wrong hands, it can be painfully pretentious, dull, and trite. Parallel Lives is a film that was improved by the wrong hands.

Basically, the plot deals with a bunch of people gathering for a fraternity/sorority reunion. Secrets come out, subplot converge, and Treat Williams ends up getting murdered. Jack Klugman shows up as a senile Senator, Mira Sorvino gets to look sexy as hustler Ben Gazzara's blonde girlfriend, and Dudley Moore floats around as some bizarre fantasy creature. Oh, and Jim Belushi's there for some reason. Technically, he's the focus of the film's plot. Too bad that plot vanishes under a heap of acting exercises.

Apparently, director Linda Yellen specializes in making improvised films -- all featuring her all-star gallery of friends attempting to impress us with how witty and insightful they are. This film has an amazingly diverse cast

-- famous non-stars and has-beens continually wander through, creating the impression that the film was shot in a West Hollywood Unemployment agency. Along with those already mentioned, the film features everyone from Liza to Levar Burton to Ally Sheedy to Robert Wagner to a bunch of other actors no sane person would currently pay money to see. Imagine that, folks, 20 or so unimportant actors getting together to make one unimportant movie.

Its a pity that with such a huge cast, nobody apparently had anything to say.