Duet for One (C or 2/4 stars)
'Duet for One' (based on a play & directed by Andrei Konchalvsky) tells the story of brilliant world renowned concert violinist Stephanie Anderson (Julie Andrews) who is slowly but surely succumbing to multiple sclerosis. Her issues (including denial) are compounded by her weak, alcoholic, cheating conductor-husband, David Cornwallis (Alan Bates), & her protege, Constantine (Rupert Everett); who has a hard time dealing with Stephanie's digression, and shows signs of 'selling out' to popular entertainment/lucrative deals in Las Vegas. Max Von Sydow plays psychiatrist Dr. Louis Feldman, a concerned man who tries to help her cope with her disease, but who ends up hurting her more than helping (just like the rest of the people in her life).
Throughout the film, Stephanie embarks on a string of melodramatic, self-destructive acts leading up to a deadening serious end. Probably the most interesting relationship in the whole film is the one Stephanie has with a gruff junk collector (Liam Neeson); whom she begins a torrid love affair with. In sex with him, she discovers that while she can't make music anymore ... she still can feel & have real passion in her life. I actually think my favorite scenes of the movie are these scenes between Julie Andrews & Liam Neeson. They just feel raw, authentic & meaningful (for what she's going though). Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to those individual scenes or to Julie Andrews' stunning lived-in portrayal.
Playing against her normally cheery self, Andrews gives Stephanie a real existentialist outlook. It was almost painful to watch; knowing Andrews has never acted like this before. But as mentioned, even her stellar work can't overshadow a messy screenplay with too many extraneous characters. Furthermore, there's a strange, mystical sequence near the end involving Stephanie & the ghost of her violin teacher that missed the mark with me {that's right ... a ghost}. On the whole, I should give it some props for avoiding cliches; such as a happy ending. This is simply a melancholy movie about a woman who is angry at her fate & confronts her disease in her own destructive way. I just wish the film was as outstanding as its lead performance.
Throughout the film, Stephanie embarks on a string of melodramatic, self-destructive acts leading up to a deadening serious end. Probably the most interesting relationship in the whole film is the one Stephanie has with a gruff junk collector (Liam Neeson); whom she begins a torrid love affair with. In sex with him, she discovers that while she can't make music anymore ... she still can feel & have real passion in her life. I actually think my favorite scenes of the movie are these scenes between Julie Andrews & Liam Neeson. They just feel raw, authentic & meaningful (for what she's going though). Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to those individual scenes or to Julie Andrews' stunning lived-in portrayal.
Playing against her normally cheery self, Andrews gives Stephanie a real existentialist outlook. It was almost painful to watch; knowing Andrews has never acted like this before. But as mentioned, even her stellar work can't overshadow a messy screenplay with too many extraneous characters. Furthermore, there's a strange, mystical sequence near the end involving Stephanie & the ghost of her violin teacher that missed the mark with me {that's right ... a ghost}. On the whole, I should give it some props for avoiding cliches; such as a happy ending. This is simply a melancholy movie about a woman who is angry at her fate & confronts her disease in her own destructive way. I just wish the film was as outstanding as its lead performance.