This was definitely a low budget film which should not take away from its total impact. I thought the music was a bit slight and schmaltzy and the lighting made everything look rather flat and there was not much use of the camera to make dramatic moments become more exciting. It is rather static in its look. I did think often how much this reminded me of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf", and I did long for some action with movement and better editing. But it was a serviceable filming of a story that kept your attention and made you wonder what was going to happen next. So with all that said, I thought this was an excellent film with great performances. Each actor met the demands of their characters head on. The most difficult to pull off was Peter Coyotes role as the weak, neurotic husband who comes to terms with his failures. He was unlikable from the beginning, so he had to win us over from the get go. The sailer was fantastic. I loved the fact that he stayed the same all the way through, never wavering from his "gee gosh" persona. He needed to in order from the couple to see themselves as they truly are, compared to his honest character. I was dreading that he would suddenly reveal some horrible trait that made him just like them. It would of been cliché to follow the theme of "we're all a mess in this age of technology and impersonal relationships." It was odd that he had the flaw of being so shy that he couldn't even talk to the woman he wants to marry, but that could of been added to show that he is indeed not perfect as the husband accused him of being. The wife was excellent too and showed a mother instinct that you would not think she would initially have. Although it seemed plausible that she would forget about signing up for Adopt A Sailor, one would think she would of gotten a reminder call from the organization to make sure everyone was still on track. This must of been a tough film to promote as it was not edgy and full of fury and profanity, like a Mamet play, nor was it subject matter that a family would be interested in seeing. A very good art film that held your interest and made you think. How refreshing!
Review of Adopt a Sailor
