Up Close & Personal

While this is definitely a "women's movie," a man can enjoy this, too. I did, but not enough to see it twice or to purchase it. Supposedly, it's the story of former television news reporters Jessica Savitch and Ron Kershaw.

Robert Redford is good at playing the veteran newsman teaching Michelle Peiffer (Savitch) the business. He does more than that, of course, being her lover and then her husband. With Redford, you know you are going to get a dose of Liberal politics in the mix and in here, it's let's-feel-sorry-for-the-prison inmates. The preaching is "they are in jail to be rehabilitated." Well, that sounds nice but whatever happened to jail as a form of punishment for someone committing a crime against someone else? Liberals - like Redford, who is never shy about giving us his views in movies like this - sometimes seem to have more compassion for thugs than they do victims of crime! He goes so far in here as to preach that if you don't treat prisoners with kid gloves you deserve to have a riot on your hands.

Outside of all that heavy-handedness, you get a nice romance with solid acting all around, not only from the two leads but the supporting case with people like Stockarrd Channnng, Joe Mantegna, Kate Nelligan, Glen Plummer and James Rebhorn.

It has been a long time since a film has made me cry. I can't remember crying like this since Beaches and Steel Magnolias years ago. To be honest the movie seemed a little boring and overacted to start with - Pfeiffer was very much as she had been in Dangerous Minds, controversial and unique (not that that is a bad thing, just repetitive). However, once you move past the 'a star is born' bit, the developing relationship between Warren Justice (Redford) and Tally Attwater is a beautiful and believable one. It is also interesting to get a look at how the TV news may operate behind-the-scenes.

Unlike so many star couplets today, Redford and Pfeiffer have true on-screen chemistry and are at their best in this film.

The film tries to give an idea of the difficulties of TV journalists to succeed and the problems they may face during the job. The director of the film seems to be interested of what may happen in Cuba, and the film touches partially the ethic of contra group in Miami. It also shows how mass media are always behind sensation of the news, sometimes sacrificing the life of the reporters, and this is what happened to Robert Redford, one of the heros of the film. This is not an easy film to be seen, but the argument is acceptable.

I don't know how anyone could watch this movie and not love it. The line up of actors in the move are amazing and maybe that's why some people expected a different kind of movie. The movie moves a long perfectly, telling the story in a great time line. It doesn't drag and there is not one part of the story that doesn't fit. It's as if a friend is telling you the main highlights of a friends' love life. I gave it a ten - Redford an Pfieffer make a great, believable couple and you can tell they put their heart into this movie. They both play people who are intelligent and aren't afraid to fight for what they believe it, something we all strive for. Get a tissue, you'll need it.

Even though I feel Robert Redford is getting a bit old to play the romantic hero, I did enjoy this movie. I liked the newsroom setting. I felt Michelle Pfeiffer gave a very good performance and that she and Mr. Redford had a very likeable chemistry. I didn't care for the ending, but it was good viewing on the whole. A good love story.