Review of Always (1989) by Stuart K — 10 Aug 2010

After making Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Steven Spielberg decided to do a remake of Victor Fleming's A Guy Named Joe (1943), which was one of his favourite films. But, he updated the plot from World War 2, to present day aerial firefighters.

It's a slow burning romantic drama, unfairly criticised, but it is a whimsical, poignant take on loss and coming to terms. It has aerial firefighter Pete Sandich (Richard Dreyfuss) who is in a relationship with dispatcher Dorinda Durston (Holly Hunter), he undertakes daring missions to put out forest fires.

However, on one mission, Pete is killed in action trying to save his best friend Al Yackey (John Goodman), and finds himself on the edge of heaven, but is sent back to Earth by angel Hap (Audrey Hepburn) to be a guardian angel over novice pilot Ted Baker (Brad Johnson), who goes to work for Al, taking Pete's place, and Ted falls for Dorinda, but Pete cannot let go of the woman he loved, and still wants to say so much to her.

It's a film about saying goodbye, and being unable to let go. It has some good performances in it, and the forest fire and aerial stunts are quite amazing. But the film has a quite sentimental, dated feel about it, a departure from what Spielberg used to do back then, but it's still pleasant enough fare.