#230. Sweet Charity (1969)

 

 

Bob Fosse always had a unique knack for combining colourful imagery and energetic characters with sleazy settings and dark subject matter. It's a bittersweet aesthetic that he perfected in the '70s with films like Cabaret and All That Jazz, but you can definitely see it starting to come together in Sweet Charity, which manages to make 1969 New York City look like both an idealistic wonderland and a soul-crushing hellscape.

 

It's also quite camp, with some countercultural spirit and avant-garde filmmaking techniques to keep things fresh and creative. And while the musical elements usually have a pretty tenuous connection to the actual narrative (causing certain scenes to feel like filler), and the bizarre editing choices only occasionally land, Fosse channels enough passion and temporary catharsis into the choreography and overall atmosphere that the emotions largely remain consistent.

 

Also keeping the tone in place is Shirley MacLaine, who, on top of giving a great performance, brings such an effervescent joy and light to every single scene. It makes the songs that much more endearing (to the point where you don't really care that next-to-nothing is actually happening), the character that much easier to root for, and her arc that much more effective. 

 

Grade: A-

 

#215. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

 

 

It's a testament to Charles Grodin's abilities as a comedian/actor that Lenny Cantrow isn't the single most despicable character ever put to film. I mean, maybe he still is (the guy's a spineless, inconsiderate, self-centered jerk who never learns a single thing), but Grodin has this subdued, almost endearing awkwardness about him that makes Lenny's desperate insincerity more watchable than it should be.

 

I have to also credit Elaine May, though, for not letting this guy off the hook. In just about every major scene, she locks the camera down, John Cassavetes-style, and lets the drama play out in the most sweaty, uncomfortable, claustrophobic way possible. It's the kind of subtly agonizing presentation that smacks of both emotional intelligence and a creative point of view, and it ultimately makes for an damning depiction of male self-destruction.

 

Still, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't find the conflicts a bit monotonous, and the comedy only mildly funny. But I guess both of those qualms are slightly soothed by the presence of Eddie Albert, whose stern indignation largely balances much the queasiness at play. I especially love his barely-contained rage at the restaurant, as well as his baffled delivery of "There's no deceit in the cauliflower?"

 

Grade: B+

 

P.S. Holy shit, does this movie need a remaster. Every version I could find made me feel like I was watching a 480p YouTube video from 2006.

#49. Only When I Laugh (1981)

 

 

Murder by Death is one of my all-time favourite movies, and James Coco gives possibly my favourite performance in that film (it's either him or Falk), so I've long been curious to see the Neil Simon adaptation that got Milo Perrier a Best Supporting Actor nomination. And I was ultimately pretty pleased with the result.

 

This is one of those sigh-and-smile movies, the sort of bittersweet comedy-drama that Woody Allen churned out almost annually around this time. And while the presentation's a tad stagey (to the point where you can tell that this was originally a play), the writing is so sharp and compelling that the material works for me. It offers some gentle insight into complicated relationships and human nature, while also throwing out the kinds of clever one-liners and rapid-fire turns of phrase that make you wish you were much quicker on your feet than you actually are.

 

Granted, the genres do sometimes clash with one another (during the big dramatic scene, characters are still speaking in a droll manner, and it seems a little out of place), but there's a palpable insecurity and anxiety to these characters that keeps everything stabilized and believable. I liked spending time with these people, and I liked seeing them interact with one another, even if the subject matter isn't always pretty.

 

As for Coco, he's incredibly warm and funny in the role (to such an extent that the Razzie nomination makes zero sense to me), but this is clearly Marsha Mason's show. And if she's as good in her other Neil Simon movies as she is here, the 0/4 Best Actress shutout she received wasn't deserved.

 

Grade: A-