American reworking of Brazil's "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" manages to drain all the vitality (and sex) out of the original recipe, replacing it with sitcom bickering. A seemingly normal, happy woman on the verge of getting married a second time is visited by the ghost of her late first husband, who then decides to stick around. Whereas the original found its impetus in the joy of the situation (and Dona Flor's embarrassment of riches), this glossily-produced but static, juvenile film just sees the central situation as something to argue over. In the leads, Sally Field, a surprisingly relaxed James Caan as Jolly the Ghost, and Jeff Bridges all try hard, but the screenplay refuses to drop the psychological ramifications; the picture is a comedy but it doesn't remember to have fun. Perhaps Robert Mulligan was the wrong director for a modern farce. Indeed, the movie is uptight and sexless, and Field is put in the unenviable position of constantly defending herself. ** from ****
Review of Kiss Me Goodbye
