Men Don't Leave (C+ or 2/4 stars)
When Beth Macauley's (Jessica Lange) contractor husband dies in a terrible accident, she is completely unprepared for the shock, pressure, grief, & loneliness which ensue in 'Men Don't Leave' (directed by Paul Brickman). Beth is vulnerable, discouraged, & has a hard time getting a 'grip'. Chris (Chris O'Donnell), her 17 yr. old son, turns angry & volatile while 9 yr. old Matt (Charlie Korsmo) hides his deep depression under a steely reserve. Faced with over $60,000 worth of debts, Beth is forced to sell their home & move to a small apartment in Baltimore. She has no job skills. But she's able to find crappy work at a shoddy gourmet food store managed by a tough woman named Lisa (Kathy Bates). While Beth works hard, the boys are left to fend for themselves.
Chris is seduced by Jody (Joan Cusack), a much older radiology tech who lives in the same apartment building. And he eventually falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Matt falls under the influence of a young delinquent classmate who breaks into houses & steals VCRs. His misguided dream is to get enough $$ to buy back their original home. Struggling to hold herself together while the family disintegrates, Beth is drawn into a relationship with Charles (Arliss Howard), a musician who helps bolster her self-esteem. However, after losing her job, Beth plunges into a 5-day depression during which she refuses to leave her bedroom. Furthermore, Chris' main goal is to stop any male from replacing his father. Melodrama unfolds as the Macauleys collectively try to figure out a way to be a happy family again.
The script is the key to the film's emotional impact. Despite themes of death, grief & sadness, there is a bittersweet quality to the way Beth & her sons handle their enormous heartbreak. I "watched" the suffering & eventual rebirth of these characters. But one of my major problems with the film is that I didn't "feel" very much. And I don't know why. I mean, everything seemed in place. 1) Jessica Lange gives an affecting performance. 2) All of the performances offer flashes of verisimilitude. 3) The core story is intriguing. But there was something about the way the film was directed/edited that made me feel like I was watching a consecutive collection of well-acted scenes ... and not real life. A series of good-ish scenes does not necessarily make a good movie. I didn't believe what I was watching. So while there are far worse movies out there, I wasn't compelled by this one, either.
Chris is seduced by Jody (Joan Cusack), a much older radiology tech who lives in the same apartment building. And he eventually falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Matt falls under the influence of a young delinquent classmate who breaks into houses & steals VCRs. His misguided dream is to get enough $$ to buy back their original home. Struggling to hold herself together while the family disintegrates, Beth is drawn into a relationship with Charles (Arliss Howard), a musician who helps bolster her self-esteem. However, after losing her job, Beth plunges into a 5-day depression during which she refuses to leave her bedroom. Furthermore, Chris' main goal is to stop any male from replacing his father. Melodrama unfolds as the Macauleys collectively try to figure out a way to be a happy family again.
The script is the key to the film's emotional impact. Despite themes of death, grief & sadness, there is a bittersweet quality to the way Beth & her sons handle their enormous heartbreak. I "watched" the suffering & eventual rebirth of these characters. But one of my major problems with the film is that I didn't "feel" very much. And I don't know why. I mean, everything seemed in place. 1) Jessica Lange gives an affecting performance. 2) All of the performances offer flashes of verisimilitude. 3) The core story is intriguing. But there was something about the way the film was directed/edited that made me feel like I was watching a consecutive collection of well-acted scenes ... and not real life. A series of good-ish scenes does not necessarily make a good movie. I didn't believe what I was watching. So while there are far worse movies out there, I wasn't compelled by this one, either.