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Reviews
Wanda Nevada (1979)
What do you get when you add zero to zero?
Really, seriously this movie is a complete waste of time. Made by the most inept and undistinguished of directors (not very good actor either) Peter Fonda, and staring Brooke Shields as...you guessed it...a child-woman-sex-object. Peter Fonda simply cannot act, period. He misses such basic acting chores like showing emotion, reacting to emotion or building a believable character that this film is unwatchable. Whatever range of human emotion Mr. Fonda has at this point in time is kept tightly under wraps for any on screen appearances. Maybe the juxtaposition of being the director and any calling all the shots got him wrapped up in daily stresses enough to shut down his acting mojo? Just guessing, but it seems very plausible.
The plot is a complete disorganized mess, although I do agree with other that somehow the tone of the film changes about halfway mark, from insipid ride-along-whimsy actor banter (filmed no less) to milquetoast-Hallmark Film-quality-third-grader-level drama. Casting Broke Shields was a mistake too, because she cannot act either. She is way too to immature. What do you get when you add zero to zero? Yup, nothing'. The other actors try, but even those professionals can't carry the heavy burden.
I think the writers should have been able to save this but, the story and script just are not A-quality. There is no grand arc of drama, no reason to care about these people, nothing but to keep watching to see if something happens romantically between these two. It does not, which is a credit to Brooke Shield's parents for not completely pimping her out at such a young age (in this instance).
But I have to say I think Brooke Shields has slowly and methodically built a solid core of acting (over many years) that is miles above this primitive attempt. And she is one of the most stunning beauties to ever be photographed or filmed. Case in point is the film Blue Lagoon where she actually gets good lines, is well directed and has developed some rudimentary but powerful acting ability. Not her best, but certainly much better than this film.