Now and Forever (1983) User Reviews

Minor

[preppy-3 · 4/10 · 13 February 2006]

Cheryl Ladd and Robert Coleby play a happily married couple. One day he is literally raped by a seriously deranged woman. She then charges HIM for rape! He is found guilty and sent to jail. Ladd is confused, hurt and angry. Will their love survive? It's based on a Danielle Steel book--what do you think?

I caught this on cable many years ago. It got almost no theatrical play in the US (it was made in Australia) and died quickly. It's easy to see why. The story is dull and drawn out--you KNOW how this is going to end. The acting is pretty good. Coleby is very good (and bare-chested a lot)in his role--even Ladd was good! She's a beautiful woman but no great actress but she still pulled this off. Basically if you liked Steel's novel you might like this.

Also the R rating is kind of silly. The rape scene is the reason--it's violent (but not graphic). Cut the rape out and you got a G rated TV movie of the week material. Not terrible but not good.

was it rape or seduction?

[petershelleyau · 3 November 2001]

Even given that the screenplay by Richard Cassidy is based on a novel by Danielle Steel, director Adrian Carr creates the depth of a TV commercial. Made in the era when Australians thought they had to import American stars to give their product international appeal, Cheryl Ladd plays the American wife of novelist Robert Coleby. Coleby's English accent another form of throwback, where Australians spoke in English accents to show that they remain civilised in the primitive colony. The narrative focuses on Coleby being accused of the rape of Christine Amor. Carr establishes that Coleby is innocent, but he is convicted even when the prosecution only have circumstantial evidence. But whilst the trial is a farce, we know Coleby must suffer for betraying Ladd, who appears in a series of unflattering clothes. At least in her testimony, Amor conveys some real emotion, which is something one can hardly accuse Ladd or Coleby of. Coleby in particular is presented bare-chested a lot, presumably to give him a Robert Redford kind of appeal. The universe portrayed here is so conventional that we are supposed to find Coleby living as a writer as a "kept man" by Ladd's successful boutique Lady Jane "unconventional", though what is more unbelievable is the kind of prison he ends up in, with no cells and resembling a boy's camp. Carr provides a laughable montage of Coleby pre-trial writing in various hardbourside locations, and has him and Ladd talking over each other to show their breakdown in communications. Ladd's drunk scene isn't bad enough to be self-parody and the level of her risk taking is making her character a smoker.

Worst Movie Ever....well, almost

[dogbone57 · 1/10 · 28 January 2008]

There are some movies that are so bad they are fun to watch for this very reason. This is not one of them. My friends poke fun at me for not recognizing bad acting, I have finally found a movie where I not only recognize the acting as bad, it is some of the most atrocious acting I have ever seen. I have a hard time deciding which actor displayed the worst skills of their craft; Cheryl Ladd or the actress that plays Margaret. Ladd is obviously just going through the motions of "acting". The actress that plays Margaret over-acts to the point of hilarity. This does not save the movie, it just makes a very bad movie halfway bearable to watch. The plot is somewhat uninteresting after Ian is imprisoned. I was left dissatisfied that there was no revenge unleashed on the villain, this led to a letdown of an ending. I am no lawyer, but the courtroom interrogation was a bit annoying in that I felt I could have done a better job then "Australia's best defense attorney". The redeeming qualities of the movie were the scenes of Australia and Sydney. The bad cars, hair and clothing were also noteworthy. The men had permed hair a la' Mike Brady of "The Brady Bunch". The cars that populate the streets of Sydney are mainly shapeless hunks of metal that should have never been built. I am not a big fan of this genre, but even if I were there are much better films out there. I can sit through a Lifetime type melodrama and have a bit of fun watching it. I'd stay clear of this movie unless you have an hour and a half of life to waste.

Another decent fine Aussie drama worth it's weight in rental

[PeterMitchell-506-564364 · 8/10 · 14 March 2013]

A budding writer, (Robert Coleby) really pays the price for fooling around with a seemingly innocent woman, really a nutter, who makes up a case of rape, where he's charged, and a grueling trial begins. Without his knowledge of her being looney, until it comes up later, by then it can't save Coleby, as other factor come into play. Her trumpery of rape in it's early stages was that of an initial and believable performance. The way this trial unfolds, as heard by both sides was interesting. (Christine Amor) the vindictive mistress using a manipulation of lies that sound more like truths, only pulled poor Coleby further under, we could see a worse fate awaiting him, at the hands of this bi..h. He has really dug a hole for himself, losing his one true love, (Cheryl Ladd) who really believed in him. His job too suffers, bringing a disreputable stink to his company, where his friend, takes him out to lunch and tennis, and breaks the news, with Coleby, slamming his last tennis ball, at the thwacking sound of a racket. As other movies show us, such at Fatal Attraction and Disclosure, etc, having an affair with the wrong woman can really come back to bite us. As far as the court case extends throughout the film, by it's end, we feel as though we've really put through the ringer, and poor Coleby is really taking a beating plus some jail time, where he's not popular amongst some bigger fish, one guy knocking up against him on a staircase. He actually begins running a writing class for other cons. Hope and belief do win, where he finally gets that letter every budding writer dreams of. Ladd too, really hasn't moved on, where you think her new relationship with a guy in the country will blossom, but is cut short at Ladd's request. Despite being a 90 minute film, Now and Forever, seems quite a straining watch. You have to be patient. It's a love story, with a good cast of capable actors + American export Ladd. It's one of those better quality Aussie dramas, that work so well, a blink or you'll miss it film, sitting on a video shelf. And too here is a message to the dangers of infidelity, and what you can lose in result, but too everyone deserves a second chance, especially if it's with that special one.

a great love story

[television23 · 10/10 · 13 November 2002]

I really enjoyed this love story. Sydney, Australia is beautiful as is Cheryl Ladd. The story of a man's one time infidelity and the painful price he must pay for it are well handled. His wife's pain and forgiveness are handled in a mature and realistic manner. I loved the gorgeous country sequences in the last part of the film and also enjoyed Robert Coleby, the actor who played Cheryl's husband very much. All in all, this was a beautiful Danielle Steel story of love won and lost and won

A Tender Love Story that Survives a Test of Faith

[SmgBag1 · 9/10 · 12 January 2021]

This film was released in 1983, one year after Air Supply's album and single of the same name released. And the song plays over the end tile soundtrack. And here lies the spoiler, since it implies a happy ending, though I won't reveal exactly what that ending is.

I thought I read one of the reviews for this film as stating that the rape at the beginning is violent. If you really watch it, it's not violent at all. Following the meeting of two advertising associates in an outdoor Sydney café, a strange woman propositions one of the men, Ian Michael Clarke, with a bottle of wine. Afterward, he drives her home and, unwisely, joins her in her apartment. And she starts advancing on him. His senses are dulled by the alcohol he's consumed, and appears a bit overwhelmed by her continued domination. Long story short, both end up on her carpeted floor, her over him in a prone position. She starts kissing him with considerable passion while gently but firmly inserting him into her. And though no frontal nudity is displayed, the audience knows exactly what's going on. And she's fully in control, driving them both to a climax within a minute, after which they moan in ecstasy with each other, still on the floor.

In the next scene, we see Ian having a piece of jewelry engraved with the name Jesse. We find out soon that this is his wife, who was away on business. Trouble comes in the form of two policemen who ask Jesse where her husband Ian is. In the next scene we see him under arrest for rape.

Without giving away other important plot points, because I want you to enjoy the film, I can tell you it is a wonderfully crafted story. The acting, while not superior by some standards, is good. I would love to see it again, only to see Christine Amor's performance as Margaret Burton, the lovely seductress who sets a trap that the unwitting Ian Michael Clarke falls into. If I was going to be dominated by a beautiful woman in a scenario like that played out by Margaret and Ian, I'd want a woman making love to me with the same passion Margaret delivers

Watch "Now and Forever" if you can find it. It's well worth your time.