One critic (I believe Ebert) characterized the young daughter in this flick as being the oldest person you'll ever encounter in a film.
I couldn't agree more, and without be unmindful that illness or accident take so many people who never get the opportunity to grow-up - I couldn't ignore the fact that a character's being young and terminal doesn't preclude her being thoroughly annoying as well. Despite her jovial persona with Ed Asner, et al, in her popular t.v. series, and her prior vanilla portrayal as Dick Van Dyke's spouse, Mary Tyler Moore has had a brittle, unsympathetic edge in several of her more serious films, which can annoy as well.
Dudley Moore's portrayal was borderline ludicrous, and annoying as well - making it 3-for-3 for the leads. The character, presented as a Congressional candidate with supposed qualities which might propel our nation to greater heights if he's elected - on-screen, he didn't show enough to be a viable choice as mayor of Mayberry.
To imagine anybody treating his own family as he did, and then proceed to New York City, engaging in a smarmy, pseudo-sexual relationship with Moore - spurred-on by the precocious daughter, missed whatever "mark" the writers or director were seeking.
Everything seemed so banal, silly and contrived, it made the typical "Lifetime" flick, filmed in Canada, featuring a slew of Canadian actors, at perhaps 5% the cost of this film, seem believable and better-executed by comparison.
I recently say this picture for the second time (unavoidably, but still fascinated by it) visiting a friend who has just obtained a copy and hadn't seen it previously.
The above represent my opinion of it both viewings. And one doesn't have to presume to enjoy a film just because the subject matter is sympathetic. The characters should present it with some semblance of believability and evoke some empathy from their characterizations and dialog. In my opinion, none did here.
I couldn't agree more, and without be unmindful that illness or accident take so many people who never get the opportunity to grow-up - I couldn't ignore the fact that a character's being young and terminal doesn't preclude her being thoroughly annoying as well. Despite her jovial persona with Ed Asner, et al, in her popular t.v. series, and her prior vanilla portrayal as Dick Van Dyke's spouse, Mary Tyler Moore has had a brittle, unsympathetic edge in several of her more serious films, which can annoy as well.
Dudley Moore's portrayal was borderline ludicrous, and annoying as well - making it 3-for-3 for the leads. The character, presented as a Congressional candidate with supposed qualities which might propel our nation to greater heights if he's elected - on-screen, he didn't show enough to be a viable choice as mayor of Mayberry.
To imagine anybody treating his own family as he did, and then proceed to New York City, engaging in a smarmy, pseudo-sexual relationship with Moore - spurred-on by the precocious daughter, missed whatever "mark" the writers or director were seeking.
Everything seemed so banal, silly and contrived, it made the typical "Lifetime" flick, filmed in Canada, featuring a slew of Canadian actors, at perhaps 5% the cost of this film, seem believable and better-executed by comparison.
I recently say this picture for the second time (unavoidably, but still fascinated by it) visiting a friend who has just obtained a copy and hadn't seen it previously.
The above represent my opinion of it both viewings. And one doesn't have to presume to enjoy a film just because the subject matter is sympathetic. The characters should present it with some semblance of believability and evoke some empathy from their characterizations and dialog. In my opinion, none did here.