Since I remained dry eyed throughout this lugubrious exercise I began to wonder what, exactly, was the point of my watching it? It certainly wasn't the look of the thing which is typically small screen. You know what I mean. At the end of the scene where the title character is told that he has cancer (and not the testicular variety, which is what he had, but just generic cancer since network execs thought the word "testicular" would offend. But the N word, used jokingly, is ok. Ah, standards and practices!) the screen goes black, indicating a commercial (Kinda wish TCM had shown 'em, actually. At least then this dull movie would have had some nostalgia value). And then we cut to...an establishing shot of a hospitaL It's as if director Buzz Kulik was afraid that the boobs who watch the boob tube would forget, after a five minute commercial break, what a hospital bed looks like with James Caan in it, which is in the very next friggin scene after the friggin establishing shot! Throw in scads of boring, interior locations, from locker room facilities to coaches' offices to hospital facilities to banquet halls, along with REALLY dull stock footage of two guys who bear no physical resemblance whatsoever to tiny (for a footballer) James Caan and tinier Billy Dee Willliams and it 's pretty much "cue the tears", twenty four seven. And if the tears don't come when summoned by Kulik and his soppy scenarist, William Blinn, then you're pretty much left with trying to get that sappy Michel Legrand theme out of your ear. Give it a generous C plus for the acting chops of Williams and Caan which shine through even this syrupy slop.
Review of Brian's Song
