The friendship here to watch isn't Gena Rowlands and Linda Lavin. It's Lavin and her longtime cleaning lady Ja'net DuBois whom out of the blue labs in decide she wants to go into business with, taking samples of old wallpaper of classic houses in her area and recreating them. What a wonderful idea, especially since she found that some of her house wallpaper was peeling and there was still evidence of the old wallpaper underneath. Lavin and Rowlands are both recent widows. Lavin is searching for a permanent resting home with the ashes of her husband in the opening scene, and is on the phone with Rowlands who suddenly hears a crash and finds her husband dead behind the wheel. Lavin pays Rowlands a visit, finds that she doesn't have much in common with Rowland's uppity friends, although when they are alone, they seem to share everything about their lives and even including the sexual problems they have with their late husbands. Rowlands is undergoing financial issues and finds a ypung adviser to help her, and he escorts her to a fancy Texas social event where a rather bizarre confrontation takes place.
The little moments in each of their lives that don't intertwine are interesting and amusing, but they rarely see each other or call, and you wonder why just because they were best friends as kids they've kept in contact at all. Both actresses are terrific, but its Dubois and Richard Farnsworth who steal the film, with Farnsworth absolutely adorable as the old town doctor whom Lavin takes a romantic interest in. Gwen Verdon has a nice cameo as Lavin's mother, but she's on and off so quickly that it doesn't really make an impact. This is obviously another "Old Acquaintance" variation, a bit better then 1981's "Rich and Famous" and a whole lot better than "Best Friends", a cable movie with Carol Burnett and Elizabeth Taylor. Lavin is far difference in this than anything else that I seen her in, and Rowlands is as usual the epitome of class and grace. Well worth seeing in spite of the light flaws, although a few moments are rather perplexing. One of those, the confrontation in the bathroom, does have a funny twist, but that mixed with an eye role for me.
The little moments in each of their lives that don't intertwine are interesting and amusing, but they rarely see each other or call, and you wonder why just because they were best friends as kids they've kept in contact at all. Both actresses are terrific, but its Dubois and Richard Farnsworth who steal the film, with Farnsworth absolutely adorable as the old town doctor whom Lavin takes a romantic interest in. Gwen Verdon has a nice cameo as Lavin's mother, but she's on and off so quickly that it doesn't really make an impact. This is obviously another "Old Acquaintance" variation, a bit better then 1981's "Rich and Famous" and a whole lot better than "Best Friends", a cable movie with Carol Burnett and Elizabeth Taylor. Lavin is far difference in this than anything else that I seen her in, and Rowlands is as usual the epitome of class and grace. Well worth seeing in spite of the light flaws, although a few moments are rather perplexing. One of those, the confrontation in the bathroom, does have a funny twist, but that mixed with an eye role for me.