5.5 stars of 10. This is a fairly good Film; but some Film Historians consider this to be an underground cult made for TV Masterpiece, but it's not. Even though the Performances from its 3 Stars is good, the Directing is just too uneven, and a couple of the scenes with Helen Slater (in a smaller role) simply don't work. There is a scene with Slater at dinner with her Mom that is simply over-acted, she over-reaches and the scene almost stops the Film in its tracks. I don't mean to be too hard on Slater because some of the scenes with her work good; but the scene at dinner fails miserably, even though Gena Rowlands is brilliant in the scene and single-handedly saves the scene.
The 3 Stars Perform good in the Film. It stars Gena Rowlands, Linda Lavin and Richard Farnsworth. Farnsworth and Lavin are competent Performers, and they turn in Performances as such, they do good.
Gena Rowlands does good the 1st half of the Film, and then really knocks it out of the park during the 2nd half of the Film; it is worth watching for the Performances that Rowlands and Lavin do together in the 2nd half of the Film, they flat out work. Most know, Rowlands is considered by many as one of the best and most intricate Actresses in History, and the 2nd half of this Film gives us a glimpse of this, no doubt. People have asked me what the best Gena Rowlands Films are, as she seems to have bridged the gap from the old Hollywood to the new Hollywood to Actresses like Cate Blanchett more than perhaps any other single Actress in History. I believe if I asked 100 of the most respected Film historians in the World what are the Top 10 Films that she Starred in, they would all have slightly different orders, but this would be their consensus, and they would consider all 10 to be 'Masterpieces': 1. A Woman Under The Influence (1974) 2. Love Streams (1984) 3. Opening Night (1977) 4. Faces (1968) 5. Lonely Are The Brave (1962) 6. Gloria (1980) 7. Night On Earth (1991) 8. Minnie And Moskowitz (1971) 9. A Child Is Waiting (1963) 10. An Early Frost (1985)
The 3 Stars Perform good in the Film. It stars Gena Rowlands, Linda Lavin and Richard Farnsworth. Farnsworth and Lavin are competent Performers, and they turn in Performances as such, they do good.
Gena Rowlands does good the 1st half of the Film, and then really knocks it out of the park during the 2nd half of the Film; it is worth watching for the Performances that Rowlands and Lavin do together in the 2nd half of the Film, they flat out work. Most know, Rowlands is considered by many as one of the best and most intricate Actresses in History, and the 2nd half of this Film gives us a glimpse of this, no doubt. People have asked me what the best Gena Rowlands Films are, as she seems to have bridged the gap from the old Hollywood to the new Hollywood to Actresses like Cate Blanchett more than perhaps any other single Actress in History. I believe if I asked 100 of the most respected Film historians in the World what are the Top 10 Films that she Starred in, they would all have slightly different orders, but this would be their consensus, and they would consider all 10 to be 'Masterpieces': 1. A Woman Under The Influence (1974) 2. Love Streams (1984) 3. Opening Night (1977) 4. Faces (1968) 5. Lonely Are The Brave (1962) 6. Gloria (1980) 7. Night On Earth (1991) 8. Minnie And Moskowitz (1971) 9. A Child Is Waiting (1963) 10. An Early Frost (1985)