The War Between Men & Women
(C- or 2/4 stars)
Loosely based on the life of cartoonist/essayist James Thurber, 'The War Between Men & Women' (directed by Melville Shavelson) stars Jack Lemmon as quirky cartoonist Peter Wilson, who, while visiting an ophthalmologist in Manhattan for his failing vision, literally stumbles upon fellow quirkster, Theresa Kozlenko (Barbara Harris), a pretty but fairly volatile divorcee with 3 kids. Peter holds a certain antipathy for women, kids, & dogs {boo!}, so everyone he knows is flabbergasted when this grouch finds himself falling in love with her - and she, of course, falls in love with him (or else ther'd be no movie).
Peter & Theresa get married, but her love for him is not shared by her 3 children, who still idolize their successful photojournalist father, Stephen (Jason Robards). Stephen has a habit of coming & going as he pleases, which is pretty devastating for his kids' psyches. When Peter's eye condition worsens, leaving him almost blind, he suggests to Theresa that his bonding techniques with her kids (trying to explain the facts of life, saving the boy from drowning) aren't working, & that she should go back to Stephen for the sake of her kids. But tragedy strikes; and Peter is forced to find a way to reach out to the children.
Eh, I just didn't care for this movie very much. The characters were a turn-off; Lemmon irritated me, Harris is feisty, yet somewhat heartless. And that's a shame because I typically like Jack Lemmon, Barbara Harris, & Jason Robards. But something about this "comedy" felt ... sour. I kind of enjoyed a sequence in the middle of the movie which mixed real-life with cartoon imagery. That was neat. And some of the comedy works. But really, most of it doesn't.
The tragic elements also didn't affect me, either. Lemmon tries to imbue a tragi-comic performance, but I've seen him do that kind of role better in other films. Like I said before, I just didn't care about the outcome of the relationships or the movie, as a whole. Aside from some acting skill, bits of dialogue, & the aforementioned animation skit, I wasn't impressed. And the film is already evaporating from my memory. The effect is benign on me.
Peter & Theresa get married, but her love for him is not shared by her 3 children, who still idolize their successful photojournalist father, Stephen (Jason Robards). Stephen has a habit of coming & going as he pleases, which is pretty devastating for his kids' psyches. When Peter's eye condition worsens, leaving him almost blind, he suggests to Theresa that his bonding techniques with her kids (trying to explain the facts of life, saving the boy from drowning) aren't working, & that she should go back to Stephen for the sake of her kids. But tragedy strikes; and Peter is forced to find a way to reach out to the children.
Eh, I just didn't care for this movie very much. The characters were a turn-off; Lemmon irritated me, Harris is feisty, yet somewhat heartless. And that's a shame because I typically like Jack Lemmon, Barbara Harris, & Jason Robards. But something about this "comedy" felt ... sour. I kind of enjoyed a sequence in the middle of the movie which mixed real-life with cartoon imagery. That was neat. And some of the comedy works. But really, most of it doesn't.
The tragic elements also didn't affect me, either. Lemmon tries to imbue a tragi-comic performance, but I've seen him do that kind of role better in other films. Like I said before, I just didn't care about the outcome of the relationships or the movie, as a whole. Aside from some acting skill, bits of dialogue, & the aforementioned animation skit, I wasn't impressed. And the film is already evaporating from my memory. The effect is benign on me.