White Palace (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'White Palace' (adapted from a 1987 & directed by Luis Mandoki) is a stellar drama about the surprising relationship btwn. Max Baron (James Spader), a 27 yr. old high-flying advertising exec & Nora (Susan Sarandon), a 43 yr. old waitress with a Marilyn Monroe fixation who works at a hamburger joint, the White Palace, and lives in a dump. What begins as a drunken seduction at a dive bar, moves swiftly to intense sexual obsession for both parties. Closed-off from most of the people in his life, Max is still recovering from the tragic death of his young wife 2 yrs. ago. Nora has her own heartache, as well; the death of her son from Leukemia. They bond over that, but mostly just share that magnetic sexual chemistry. Despite their many differences; including age, class, religion (he's Jewish), & even personal hygiene - her sloppiness irks his neat-freak self). It's up in the air as to whether Max & Nora can overcome their problems on the path of true love.
The main dilemma faced by James Spader's Max is how to integrate Nora INTO his upper-middle-class Jewish circle/life without feeling embarrassed AND self-loathing for feeling embarrassed. He has never met a woman who reaches him more deeply than Nora does ... not even his beloved wife. But is he IN love? He's not sure. It's certainly compulsion. But he also just wants to be around her despite their differences. Throughout the film, he lies & evades taking Nora to a friend's wedding, and when he does break down & takes her to a large Thanksgiving dinner, well ... it does not go well.
See, not only do the women at the party resent her (they see Max as a catch; not to be lost on a lowly waitress), but part of the blame is Nora's, too: she drinks way too much & causes an unnecessary confrontation at the dinner table. She doesn't care for these uppity people and, is angry to discover that Max lied to her in not really wanting to invite her to the dinner, anyway. As is expected in these types of films, she flees, skips out of town, and must rely on the kindness of Nora's eccentric Tarot card-reading older sister (a great Eileen Brennan) to steer him in her direction for a reconciliation. But I will not divulge that outcome of that meeting.
This whole relationship has been tricky for Max, and James Spader nails this kind of self-conscious, inner-tortured man who is sexually repressed, brought back to life by Nora, yet can't quite get out of his own way to find true happiness with her. Susan Sarandon gives a superb performance as Nora, our boozy, chains-smoking, raunchy protagonist who simultaneously injects humor, heartbreak, vulnerability, & humanity into the enigmatic role. Thanks to director Luis Mandoki & a smart script {that admittedly goes soft in the final scenes}, 'White Palace' is a swift-moving, highly watchable, convincing drama to relish. And I admire seeing how the redemptive power of love CAN overcome even the deepest differences in age, class, religion, or otherwise. This is a great little film to check out.
The main dilemma faced by James Spader's Max is how to integrate Nora INTO his upper-middle-class Jewish circle/life without feeling embarrassed AND self-loathing for feeling embarrassed. He has never met a woman who reaches him more deeply than Nora does ... not even his beloved wife. But is he IN love? He's not sure. It's certainly compulsion. But he also just wants to be around her despite their differences. Throughout the film, he lies & evades taking Nora to a friend's wedding, and when he does break down & takes her to a large Thanksgiving dinner, well ... it does not go well.
See, not only do the women at the party resent her (they see Max as a catch; not to be lost on a lowly waitress), but part of the blame is Nora's, too: she drinks way too much & causes an unnecessary confrontation at the dinner table. She doesn't care for these uppity people and, is angry to discover that Max lied to her in not really wanting to invite her to the dinner, anyway. As is expected in these types of films, she flees, skips out of town, and must rely on the kindness of Nora's eccentric Tarot card-reading older sister (a great Eileen Brennan) to steer him in her direction for a reconciliation. But I will not divulge that outcome of that meeting.
This whole relationship has been tricky for Max, and James Spader nails this kind of self-conscious, inner-tortured man who is sexually repressed, brought back to life by Nora, yet can't quite get out of his own way to find true happiness with her. Susan Sarandon gives a superb performance as Nora, our boozy, chains-smoking, raunchy protagonist who simultaneously injects humor, heartbreak, vulnerability, & humanity into the enigmatic role. Thanks to director Luis Mandoki & a smart script {that admittedly goes soft in the final scenes}, 'White Palace' is a swift-moving, highly watchable, convincing drama to relish. And I admire seeing how the redemptive power of love CAN overcome even the deepest differences in age, class, religion, or otherwise. This is a great little film to check out.