Review of Against All Odds (1984) by Jennifer A — 26 Mar 2006

[size=2]I'm beginning the rather lengthy task of entering into the database every film I have seen, at least those I have a decent memory of. Some may have the briefest of reviews while many will just have a number. Those films that I consider personal favorites and/or those that have some historical signficance I will add later when I have time for more lengthy reviews.

[b]Bird[/b], directed by Clint Eastwood, stars Forest Whitaker as Charlie "Bird" Parker in this biography. Forst Whitaker is excellent and Eastwood does a fine job directing. The film also stars Diane Venora.

[b]Lean on Me[/b], directed by John Avildesen, stars Morgan Freeman as the principal of a tough, inner city school. The story is formulaic, but it's watchable mainly due Freeman's presence. This was an early starring role for him.

[b]Against All Odds[/b], directed by Taylor Hackford, is part romance, part Post Noir, and part sports story. It's a flawed film with enough strong performances (Jeff Bridges, James Woods, Rachel Ward, Richard Widmark, ALex Karras, Saul Rubinek) to make it watchable.

[b]Immediate Family[/b], directed by Jonathan Kaplan, stars James Woods and Glenn Close as a middle-aged couple desperate to have a baby. Since they cannot concieve themselves, they enlist 17 year old Mary Stuart Masterson who doesn't think she and boyfriend Matt Dillon can care for the baby. The couple take Masterson in and all bond, but Masterson begins having second thoughts about giving up the baby. With a great cast like this, it's a watchable film, but it ultimately fails by trying to be to sentimental.

[b]Fandango[/b], directed by Kevin Reynolds, is a decent coming-of-age/road movie about five buddies who face an uncertain future in 1971. Features a then unknown Kevin Costner, Sam Robards, and Judd Nelson. It's an interesting, albiet not great film.

[/size].