Daryl Hannah

Legal Eagles (1986)

Legal Eagles (1986)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(In French, On Cable TV, June 2019) I don’t think anyone would remember Legal Eagles today if it wasn’t for Daryl Hannah and Robert Redford, but that’s kind of the point of casting stars. The premise of the film has Redford and Debra Winger as competing lawyers who somehow agree to investigate the case they have in common—a sombre painting robbery that turns out to have links with the death of an artist killed eighteen years earlier. As our romantic pair bickers themselves into a healthy romantic tension, we’re free to enjoy the sight of middle-aged Redford at his most charming self, extremely cool even when slightly bumbling. Meanwhile Hannah plays the seductress with dull practice, leaving Winger as the film’s MVP as a combative attorney. Consciously written to feel like a 1940s belligerent romantic comedy, Legal Eagles is definitely middle-of-the-road stuff: there’s a substantial plot, but it’s a star vehicle almost designed to leave viewers with a pleasant feeling that soon evaporates—I’m not sure anyone can recall the details of the narrative even a week later. Still, fifty-year-old Redford is a joy to watch, and the film moves through the motions of its plot so confidently that it does give the impression of going somewhere even despite the banter. I quite liked it, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll remember why in a few months.

Steel Magnolias (1989)

Steel Magnolias (1989)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(On Cable TV, May 2019) I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the target audience for Steel Magnolias—I imagine it being best suited to a cross-generational selection of female viewers, the closer to its southern setting the better. But no matter who you are, the film is a feast of great acting and excellent dialogue dunked in a warm bath of gentle southern-USA atmosphere. I had a lot of fun watching the first two thirds of the film, what with such notables as Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Shirley McLaine and Daryl Hannah at her arguable peak. It’s not an entirely cheerful film (the third act focuses on a character’s death and the other characters’ subsequent mourning) but it’s often very funny—especially once you factor in the combination of gifted actresses biting into theatrical dialogue. The last third of the film will work either better or worse depending on the audiences—while the point of Steel Magnolias is to show how the tightly-knit community reacts to the death of one of their owns, the film does milk those moments as hard as it can, and does feel overly manipulative at times. That’s not enough of a problem to stop recommending the film, though: the quality of the dialogue and the relationship between the characters remains the best reason to see the film, even if you think it won’t appeal to you.

Splash (1984)

Splash (1984)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(In French, On TV, April 2019) I know that a lot of people remember Splash fondly—on a surface level, what’s not to love? Perennial 1980s comedy young beau Tom Hanks falling in love with a Mermaid played by Daryl Hannah: isn’t that enough to many anyone happy? There’s a strong fairy-tale component to the result (despite a few moments with heightened threats) and it’s best to approach the film as such. Unfortunately, there’s a point where Splash doesn’t have a lot to differentiate it from other fish-out-of-water comedies, with a script that seems obvious and by the numbers. Fortunately, the execution isn’t bad (this being one of Ron Howard’s first efforts as a director and arguably his first big commercial success) and you can’t really ignore the mermaid aspect that still makes Splash a memorable film. Hanks is slightly subdued compared to some of his other comedies of that time, Darryl Hannah is fine as the mermaid that named thousands of Madisons and there’s an interesting Canadian connection with supporting roles given to John Candy and Eugene Levy. Still, I have a hard time getting enthusiastic about it all—there’s not a whole lot to say: it seems as if we’ve seen everything in there a few times since then.

Summer Lovers (1982)

Summer Lovers (1982)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(In French, On TV, April 2019) You can sometimes tell a lot about a film by looking at when and where it’s broadcast. I didn’t know Summer Lovers at all, but it was being broadcast in the same weekly time-slot that the French-Canadian TV channel had used for other steamy movies such as 9 ½ weeks and Last Tango in Paris, so… I knew what to expect, and the film delivered. A sometimes-awkward blend of naughty sex comedy and serious character drama, the film follows the adventures of a disgustingly rich, young, and good-looking American couple as they travel to a Greek island for the summer, and then gradually get caught up in a ménage à trois with a French archeologist. It’s meant to be something of a carefree escapist romp with just enough character drama to make it respectable, but it all falls apart along the way. (Of course, I’m old and grumpy enough to think that the only appeal of a ménage à trois is having one more person to do housework.) The film does feel very much like a male-gaze dominated fantasy: despite a few more serious moments examining the realities of such an arrangement, writer-director Randal Kleiser spends far too much time photographing nude bodies and staging erotic set-pieces to claim otherwise. What’s more, the ending merely kicks the dramatic can past the end credits in order not to commit to anything. Daryl Hannah stars in an early role (as the wife), and the feeling of being in a Greek vacation (complete with an intriguing glimpse at an early-1980s archeological dig) is bolstered with a pop soundtrack (“I’M SO EXCITED!”) that clearly anchors it to a point in time.  The nice Greek countryside can’t quite compensate for a story that borders on annoyance. As a result, Summer Lovers feels flawed, although I can’t really begrudge anyone from enjoying it. After all, you know what you’re getting into when watching a film in the late-night time-slot…