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mbhaynes
Reviews
Sweet Dreams (1985)
Country Music gone mainstream with a bang!
Bernie Schwartz managed to take a relatively thin story (Patsy Cline had a relatively short career) into a totally engrossing, satisfying movie, country music fan or not. The acting is superb, and the work of the crew should not be overlooked. Costumes by Ann Roth were so spot on you don't even notice them, which is as it should be unless it's a major period piece. These are extraordinary actors and the film holds up for viewing after viewing after viewing. Ann Wedgeworth, purported to be extremely difficult to work with, was perfect as Patsy's mother. The surprise casting of Bruce Kirby as Arthur Godfrey took me three viewings to catch. Note that James Staley, boring first husband, Gerald Cline, played the boring husband Kevin Palmer in American Dreamer with JoBeth Williams. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good film, regardless of genre.
American Dreamer (1984)
Bored, frustrated housewife wins a trip to Paris that changes her life
I've been drawn to this movie again and again. It's funny, it has warmth and pathos, and the performances are great. I always thought JoBeth Williams was an underrated actress. She was totally believable in an admittedly preposterous plot. But the Tom Conti character offered a warm and credible reality check to the zanier aspects of the film. His character was thoroughly appealing and I keenly felt his loss when Rebecca Ryan once again became Cathy Palmer. The ending was totally satisfactory. There were serious laughs, from the brilliantly choreographed kitchen scene to the drunken revelry at the Embassy Party.
I highly recommend this film. I suppose it might be classified as a "chick-flick" but it's much more than that. Great laughs, lots of warmth, and strong chemistry between the main characters lifted this film to a "10".