I was so looking forward to this movie, but halfway through it, I actually considered turning it off. In general, I really like the "old folks get a second chance at love" movies, but this one really fell flat.
A lonely widower and a kooky, slightly older vivacious woman hit it off. Newly Oscar-ed Christopher Plummer and an always delightful Shirley MacLaine—what could go wrong? The bad news: the plot went wrong. The good news: there was nothing wrong with the veteran actors' performances.
If you're a hopeless fan of either actor, you'll probably end up seeing this one. After all, I did. But it's really not very good. Christopher Plummer's character just doesn't make any sense; he's cranky, he's hopeful, he's lusting after his maid, he's in love with Shirley MacLaine, he couldn't care less about Shirley MacLaine, he's capable, he's getting senile—See what I mean? And Shirley MacLaine's character is one feather shy of a loon. She's grandiose and full of life, and for absolutely no fathomable reason other than "new blood" she pursues her neighbor. She recreates the classic fountain scene from La Dolce Vita and expects the fuddy-duddy to break free of his shell and join in her eccentric behavior, when he's made it perfectly clear he has no such intention. I struggled to understand her character as well, and let me tell you, when you're battling confusion from both leads and boredom from the plot, it's not very fun.
A lonely widower and a kooky, slightly older vivacious woman hit it off. Newly Oscar-ed Christopher Plummer and an always delightful Shirley MacLaine—what could go wrong? The bad news: the plot went wrong. The good news: there was nothing wrong with the veteran actors' performances.
If you're a hopeless fan of either actor, you'll probably end up seeing this one. After all, I did. But it's really not very good. Christopher Plummer's character just doesn't make any sense; he's cranky, he's hopeful, he's lusting after his maid, he's in love with Shirley MacLaine, he couldn't care less about Shirley MacLaine, he's capable, he's getting senile—See what I mean? And Shirley MacLaine's character is one feather shy of a loon. She's grandiose and full of life, and for absolutely no fathomable reason other than "new blood" she pursues her neighbor. She recreates the classic fountain scene from La Dolce Vita and expects the fuddy-duddy to break free of his shell and join in her eccentric behavior, when he's made it perfectly clear he has no such intention. I struggled to understand her character as well, and let me tell you, when you're battling confusion from both leads and boredom from the plot, it's not very fun.