Suzanne (1980) User Reviews

Oh Suzanne... Mmnnnm!

[videorama-759-859391 · 7/10 · 18 October 2015]

I don't know what to really make of this movie. You might expect it to be more explicit, whatever, but what you have is actually a story, and good acting. The film is not bad, may'be a little disjointed in bits. Jennifer Dale is HOT, and we see why men fall for her, and she does quite a good acting job, but it's bad boy performance, from our Winston, as the handsome crim, Nicky, with violent tendencies, that grabs our attention. He's a sort of David Essex, if not for the lighter color hair. I hadn't seen this film in about 17 years, and it came off a better film than I remembered it, but of course, it isn't without flaws. Suzanne is basically the story of a girl becoming a woman and independent, where we see her go through the wars of life, then motherhood. She loses her mother to car accident, where the woman, too a beauty in her day, is knocked down, as ill fate would have it. Her father is pestering Suzanne to get married. She has set her eyes, on our crim, Nicky (Winston) really smitten by him, where an on and off relationship, develops, as Nicky, who can't get himself straight isn't a one woman man, and times, his treatment towards Suzanne is cruel, and sometimes quizzical. But this bad boy crim, does have a heart, and after all, is human, you really gotta understand him, and want to. One scene, especially where I could see this, was when he takes Suzanne to meet his alcoholic mother, where he's so embarrassed. You can't help feeling sorry for the guy, who's just been steered wrong. Suzanne's other love interest, but more like a rock to fall on, is the gentle and a little, timid George, who she's known her whole life, the only real guy who's respected her, so it becomes a decision maker for Suzanne. Banished from her father, as she's fallen pregnant, she's now over her head, as our wanted bad boy ends up in the clink. Shame, as they make a cute, contrasting couple. The ending was very believable, and I very appreciative of it. Suzanne might come off better than you think, if you give this film a chance. A lot of it, we owe thanks to the three good performances, where we even have a younger Michael Ironside, as Nicky's best friend. Too, don't get Jennifer Dale confused with Heavenly Bodies's Cynthia Dale. Yes, both beauties must be sisters, right.

Not that good.

[gmoore44 · 4/10 · 28 August 2005]

Suzanne is a perfect example of the state of Canadian film-making in the 1970 and 80's. The plot device of Suzanne growing up in the culture that was Montreal of the 1950's will not really resonate with viewers from other countries. Even so, the film might be able to overcome that except for one big problem. The acting is not good. It sinks to a soup opera level as the usual soup opera plot devices happen to the lead character. The dialog is equally uninspired, and the actors look and sound uncomfortable delivering such clichéd lines. I cannot recommend this movie on any level. Unless you are a HUGE Jennifer Dale fan (and even then you might have trouble enjoying this movie) this is one to miss.