A suburban housewife in desperate need of emancipation is given her chance after the accidental death of her husband, forcing a relocation to (of all places) beautiful downtown Baltimore. After overcoming the usual obstacles she inevitably learns, together with her two sons, how to love again, with lots of not unpredictable bonding: mother to new boyfriend; teenage son to older girlfriend; mother to son; son to mother's boyfriend, and so forth. Director Paul Brickman's second film in almost a decade (after 'Risky Business' in 1983) shows he maybe should have stayed more in practice, and perhaps shared some of the attention given to visual symmetry and prettiness (courtesy of cinematographer Bruce Surtees) with the screenplay instead. The acting is excellent (nobody demonstrates an emotional breakdown quite like Jessica Lange), but all the offbeat characters and arresting images don't add up to anything more than a simple Home Sweet Home greeting card advertisement.
Review of Men Don't Leave
