First, the issue of Dyan Cannon's acting. She never was a top tier actress, and she;s not here. But I'm not sure she deserved all the bad press that she got for this film.
My biggest criticism of this film is some of the scenes when characters are yelling...no, I should say screaming...at each other. It's uncontrolled screaming, rather than good acting, and it makes some of the dialog a little difficult to understand. Uncontrolled yelling is sometimes mistaken for actual acting.
But then again, I never saw Christopher Reeve as anything but a very average actor. And he doesn't particularly impress me here.
I also just have the feeling here that this film is too clever for its own good, although in reality, it's not half as clever as it thinks it is.
Another complain I have is one that I always have about movies that take place pretty much in one room. I know this was a popular play, but I really dislike films that feel too much like a play. And this one does.
My fondest remembrance of watching this film back in 1982 at the theater is when the audience realizes that the characters of Reeve and Caine are gay lovers. Some woman in the audience yelled out, "Oh my god. Say it isn't so!" Biggest laugh I ever heard in a movie theater.
Really, the best thing about this film is that it takes place in an old mill which has been turned into a house. Unfortunately, when that's the best thing there is about a movie, it means it's not a very good movie. And then the very ending just confirms that.
My biggest criticism of this film is some of the scenes when characters are yelling...no, I should say screaming...at each other. It's uncontrolled screaming, rather than good acting, and it makes some of the dialog a little difficult to understand. Uncontrolled yelling is sometimes mistaken for actual acting.
But then again, I never saw Christopher Reeve as anything but a very average actor. And he doesn't particularly impress me here.
I also just have the feeling here that this film is too clever for its own good, although in reality, it's not half as clever as it thinks it is.
Another complain I have is one that I always have about movies that take place pretty much in one room. I know this was a popular play, but I really dislike films that feel too much like a play. And this one does.
My fondest remembrance of watching this film back in 1982 at the theater is when the audience realizes that the characters of Reeve and Caine are gay lovers. Some woman in the audience yelled out, "Oh my god. Say it isn't so!" Biggest laugh I ever heard in a movie theater.
Really, the best thing about this film is that it takes place in an old mill which has been turned into a house. Unfortunately, when that's the best thing there is about a movie, it means it's not a very good movie. And then the very ending just confirms that.