Pros: Entertaining film about friendship, devotion, and -- ghosts?
Cons: Audrey Hepburn's last film...
The Bottom Line: Overlooked, this is much better than what you've heard. Want something good for Valentine's Day, this little love story hits the spot.
The critics hated this film. They performed an natural act on it from a high distance and called it foul. Let's be real here, folks. Mr. Spielberg has always been able to tug at our heartstrings, and plays on our emotions. And sometimes that can be a good thing.
Pop this film into the movie machine of your choice if you really need a good cry. Especially if you need a good cry.
Loosely based on the classic A Guy Named Joe, the film shifted the time and place from the WWII Pacific to the here and now. Starting off somewhere in the northwest, perhaps Montana or Idaho, we see a team of valiant firefighters, and the air teams that support them by making precision drops using fire-retardants. The story centers around two hot pilots, Pete (Richard Dreyfuss) and Al 'the Pal' (John Goodman, in one of his best on screen roles). With them is Pete's girlfriend, Dorinda (Holly Hunter), who runs the air traffic tower for them, and is aspiring to be a pilot herself.
And there's a bit of a problem with Pete, because he likes to take chances a bit too much. Enough to where he's becoming a danger to the other pilots, and breaking poor Dorinda's heart. It takes a while to get that through Pete's head, especially after his friend Al sits him down for a little talk. And that night he decides to play things safe.
Unfortunately for Pete, his good intentions are a bit too late, for the next day he pushes things a bit too far, leaving heartbreak in his wake. And caught up in the afterlife, where he meets a rather interesting spirit guide by the name of Hap (Audrey Hepburn), Pete discovers that he still needs to grow up a bit.
What happens to Pete, Dorinda and Al -- along with a handsome, talented young pilot named Ted (Brad Johnson)who becomes Pete's 'project' -- is what makes the film glow. The segues between scenes and times are handled gracefully, the dialogue is funny (my favorite line is "Girl clothes! You bought me girl clothes!"), but not trite. Spielberg's shoots and locations are luminous and full of color that make the screen sing, and there's touches of humor that aren't mean or off-putting. The friendships shown here are real and the characters are enjoyable and believable.
The flying stunts and sequences are great -- best enjoyed with the DVD version of the film. Nothing special included on the DVD except for the trailer and widescreen format.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD Video Occasion: Good Date Movie Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older
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