esrosedotblog

10(1979)

Today's movie. Dudley Moore is an acquired taste that I never acquired. He began a very successful but limited franchise in this film; the guy with less who gets more. The film is Blake Edward's take on the post-hippy zeitgeist (note 1979). Here, relationships count for more than free love. It is enlightened enough to have a 'gay' leading character, but retarded enough to require that the character be love-lorn at the end. Homos had to be treated that way in film at the time.

It seems rather a shock to realize that Bo Derrick was just Moore's size; both tiny. What else? Brian Dennehy has a significant B part as a sympathetic bartender. Julie Andrews (Blake Edward's wife and a fixture in his films) is totally unbelievable as Moore's 'serious' love interest. It is mostly hokum. Blake Edwards got a special Oscar this year for his work. He whined because they had never given him a real one. This film should tell him why. If it is his best, it is not good enough.

It is interesting that we begin the 'serious' attack of the NYTimes1000BestFilms with this one. It demonstrates early on that I will have some trouble liking what some others think as best. I should say that I was not UNamused. There are some funny bits; and despite the downer for the token faggot, the film does not show middle aged hetero-men in a very favorable light. Perhaps, on reflection, Moore getting Andrews at the end is a more tragic ending than the gay guy who has, at least, some hope that his young muscle-hunk will return from his European holiday. I give it a 3 on the Netflix5 scale.