With a premise of a dying woman's last wish to meet Greta Garbo, you'd think the movie would be heavy and sad. It's very tricky to make a comedy about dying, but Larry Grusin certainly tried to write one. The vast majority of this movie, with the exception of about five minutes, attempts to be a light movie full of laughs. I know that tactic will work for a lot of people, but it doesn't work for me. People who have never lost a loved one might enjoy seeing Anne Bancroft keep her sense of humor during her darkest moments, but those with sadness in their hearts might be put off by the forced witticisms. Anne's response to learning she might lose her hair in chemotherapy: "I just had it dyed."
Anne Bancroft isn't responsible for the script, and she does the best she can with the lines she's given. Given the character, she does an excellent job. Her son, Ron Silver, also does a good job, fully blossoming in the final half hour when his search brings him closer as time runs out. The final part of the movie is very enjoyable, because the humor finally dissipates. While most people in the world are afraid of death and would prefer any distraction to facing it, I think most people will really enjoy this movie. It gives you over an hour of gags and timing gimmicks to distract yourself from Anne's impending doom.
While Anne's wish is to meet Greta Garbo before she dies, her son goes on a quest to fulfil it. If you are a modern kid and have no idea who Greta Garbo is, you can still appreciate the movie. You'll get to see glamorous photographs during the opening credits, as well as snippets from Camille and Ninotchka during the movie. Ron goes to a movie theater and watches an old flick, enjoying the screen presence that had his mother captivated her whole life, but that scene didn't warm my heart. I understand the script makes Ron spend the last few months of his mother's life on a wild goose chase, but I couldn't help but worry about him if he were a real person. All I noticed was the enormous amount of time he spent away from his mother, time he would want back after she's gone and that she would have appreciated spent with him. She's shown alone in a hospital room during several scenes, reading, watching tv, and listening to music. A hospital room is a cold, lonely, scary place. Wouldn't she prefer her son spending time with her, reading to her, holding her hand while watching tv, and talking while they listen to music, rather than running around New York City and going to the movie theaters by himself? Meeting new people, getting fresh air, traveling, and learning that other people have pain are all things that could help him during his grief, not take away precious time he has left with his mother.
You understand why I didn't like most of the movie, but if this type of movie appeals to you, chances are you'll like it. You'll get to see a great Anne Bancroft performance, and it's always a nice addition to a story to pay tribute to the silver screen.
Anne Bancroft isn't responsible for the script, and she does the best she can with the lines she's given. Given the character, she does an excellent job. Her son, Ron Silver, also does a good job, fully blossoming in the final half hour when his search brings him closer as time runs out. The final part of the movie is very enjoyable, because the humor finally dissipates. While most people in the world are afraid of death and would prefer any distraction to facing it, I think most people will really enjoy this movie. It gives you over an hour of gags and timing gimmicks to distract yourself from Anne's impending doom.
While Anne's wish is to meet Greta Garbo before she dies, her son goes on a quest to fulfil it. If you are a modern kid and have no idea who Greta Garbo is, you can still appreciate the movie. You'll get to see glamorous photographs during the opening credits, as well as snippets from Camille and Ninotchka during the movie. Ron goes to a movie theater and watches an old flick, enjoying the screen presence that had his mother captivated her whole life, but that scene didn't warm my heart. I understand the script makes Ron spend the last few months of his mother's life on a wild goose chase, but I couldn't help but worry about him if he were a real person. All I noticed was the enormous amount of time he spent away from his mother, time he would want back after she's gone and that she would have appreciated spent with him. She's shown alone in a hospital room during several scenes, reading, watching tv, and listening to music. A hospital room is a cold, lonely, scary place. Wouldn't she prefer her son spending time with her, reading to her, holding her hand while watching tv, and talking while they listen to music, rather than running around New York City and going to the movie theaters by himself? Meeting new people, getting fresh air, traveling, and learning that other people have pain are all things that could help him during his grief, not take away precious time he has left with his mother.
You understand why I didn't like most of the movie, but if this type of movie appeals to you, chances are you'll like it. You'll get to see a great Anne Bancroft performance, and it's always a nice addition to a story to pay tribute to the silver screen.