primona Review of Play Misty for Me

Play Misty for Me (1971)

Despite the too familiar "obsessed by scorned lover theme", this film still resonates

[7/10 · 24 February 2013]

Play Misty for Me is about a handsome radio DJ named Dave Garver (Clint Eastwood) who has a one night stand with a female fan of his nightly radio show named Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter). She frequently listens to the show and calls in to request that he play a song called "Misty". The "no strings attached" encounter takes a turn for the worse as Evelyn becomes increasingly possessive of Dave. She believes that the two of them have something special; however, Dave has no romantic interest in her. His heart actually belongs to ex-girlfriend Tobie (Donna Mills). This movie is satisfying; although, one out of place element in this rather dark film is the inclusion of a lengthy romantic montage with Dave and Tobie featuring the classic Roberta Flack hit "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". It's like it's done just to make sure we see a loving side to Dave and avoid the risk of us seeing him as a jerk that deserves what he gets. Play Misty for Me predates Fatal Attraction by about 15 years but the female protagonist in this film makes Glenn Close's character in Fatal look rather reasonable. The film marks the directional debut by Clint Eastwood which makes it worthy of a look just for this historic value.