Sally Field is a widower who finally consents to move back into her old home with her staid fiancé Jeff Bridges, only to be hounded by the ghost of her free-wheeling, philandering former husband James Caan trying to throw a wrench into her upcoming nuptials.
There is not a person in the industry, film fanatic or film critic alive who was not aware that this film was an unofficial American remake of the Brazilian classic Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands. Given that there are probably not an abundance of Americans who have seen the Brazilian film, it was not necessarily an unwise move to remake this, but it becomes apparent fairly quickly why the filmmakers would want to avoid comparisons. The original film was a ribald, yet insightful sex comedy headlined by the multi-talented and sultry Sonia Braga, and in that sentence you have a list of descriptions that do not apply to this remake.
A huge problem is that the filmmakers want to sanitize the source material for PG-rated consumption, so much of the frankness of the original is abandoned (not to mention its decidedly off-beat conclusion). They also want to substitute sloppy sentiment for anything especially insightful or original. For a film that bills itself as a romantic comedy, there is very little romance and precious little comedy. I counted two minor chuckles in the whole endeavor: once when Field is trying to carry on a conversation in bed with both Bridges and the unseen-to-him Caan, and later when Bridges and Field manage to antagonize a honeymooning couple into fighting.
Field is a very good actress, but she is not given enough to work with here. The material does not provide her with enough for her to run with as a comedic actress and the dramatic notes are so predictable and muted that she seems trapped in the part. It also does not help that she shares no chemistry with Caan. Caan (in a part originally played by Jose Wilker) is supposed to represent the exciting sexuality that she misses in her current life with the dull Bridges, but Caan portrays the part with all of the rampant sexuality of a grilled eggplant (perhaps less). In the original film, Wilker's ghost spent the majority of the film nude to reinforce the excitement of sex missing in the heroine's life. Given this film's staid PG-rating, such a decision would be frowned upon, so instead we get Caan garbed as Gene Kelly becoming increasingly irritating with each appearance. It seems improbable that Field's widow would miss his "excitement level", much less that her female friends were also so smitten that they would toss friendship by the wayside to philander with him.
Strangely, Field does have some degree of chemistry with Bridges, even though his character is supposed to be a likable, but boring nebbish. Even more puzzling, while the filmmakers (and Caan) have virtually de-sexed the role of the first husband, Bridges is often filmed in his underwear, sporting a male model's physique and is so physically attractive as to defy belief here, but yet his is the character whose dullness gives Field pause? This is just one more strange creative decision from behind the scenes.
The remainder of the cast is fairly irrelevant. Screen legends Claire Trevor and Mildred Natwick are truly wasted. It seems inconceivable that the director, Robert Mulligan, is the same man behind To Kill a Mockingbird. Caan purportedly despised this film so much that he took a hiatus from acting for several years, but honestly his crummy performance is just as responsible for the end result as some of the other ill-conceived elements. A real misfire!
There is not a person in the industry, film fanatic or film critic alive who was not aware that this film was an unofficial American remake of the Brazilian classic Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands. Given that there are probably not an abundance of Americans who have seen the Brazilian film, it was not necessarily an unwise move to remake this, but it becomes apparent fairly quickly why the filmmakers would want to avoid comparisons. The original film was a ribald, yet insightful sex comedy headlined by the multi-talented and sultry Sonia Braga, and in that sentence you have a list of descriptions that do not apply to this remake.
A huge problem is that the filmmakers want to sanitize the source material for PG-rated consumption, so much of the frankness of the original is abandoned (not to mention its decidedly off-beat conclusion). They also want to substitute sloppy sentiment for anything especially insightful or original. For a film that bills itself as a romantic comedy, there is very little romance and precious little comedy. I counted two minor chuckles in the whole endeavor: once when Field is trying to carry on a conversation in bed with both Bridges and the unseen-to-him Caan, and later when Bridges and Field manage to antagonize a honeymooning couple into fighting.
Field is a very good actress, but she is not given enough to work with here. The material does not provide her with enough for her to run with as a comedic actress and the dramatic notes are so predictable and muted that she seems trapped in the part. It also does not help that she shares no chemistry with Caan. Caan (in a part originally played by Jose Wilker) is supposed to represent the exciting sexuality that she misses in her current life with the dull Bridges, but Caan portrays the part with all of the rampant sexuality of a grilled eggplant (perhaps less). In the original film, Wilker's ghost spent the majority of the film nude to reinforce the excitement of sex missing in the heroine's life. Given this film's staid PG-rating, such a decision would be frowned upon, so instead we get Caan garbed as Gene Kelly becoming increasingly irritating with each appearance. It seems improbable that Field's widow would miss his "excitement level", much less that her female friends were also so smitten that they would toss friendship by the wayside to philander with him.
Strangely, Field does have some degree of chemistry with Bridges, even though his character is supposed to be a likable, but boring nebbish. Even more puzzling, while the filmmakers (and Caan) have virtually de-sexed the role of the first husband, Bridges is often filmed in his underwear, sporting a male model's physique and is so physically attractive as to defy belief here, but yet his is the character whose dullness gives Field pause? This is just one more strange creative decision from behind the scenes.
The remainder of the cast is fairly irrelevant. Screen legends Claire Trevor and Mildred Natwick are truly wasted. It seems inconceivable that the director, Robert Mulligan, is the same man behind To Kill a Mockingbird. Caan purportedly despised this film so much that he took a hiatus from acting for several years, but honestly his crummy performance is just as responsible for the end result as some of the other ill-conceived elements. A real misfire!