Review of Corrina, Corrina (1994) by Adam F — 18 Nov 2015

"Corinna, Corinna" is a bit sappy at times but it's heartwarming and Whoopi Goldberg plays her part very well. Most of the performances in the film are actually pretty good, from child actress Molly Majorino to Ray Liotta. The flaws I counted were due to exaggerated characters and developments.

Manny (Ray Liotta) is recently widowed. His daughter Molly (Tina Majorino) is traumatized from the death of her mother and hasn't spoken a word since. Manny decides to hire a nanny to look after Molly while he's at work, settling for Corrina (Whoopi Goldberg). Her unorthodox behavior has Molly warming up to her and she starts becoming part of the family.

At the beginning of the film we see a bunch of candidate nannies that are way over-the-top. It's a lineup of cartoons from a nanny that loves to drink all the time, to the frigid old bat that hates children but wants to look after them regardless to an insane woman who wants to replace the dead wife in every way you can imagine. Once those characters leave the picture (and thankfully they don't last long) we still have an annoying woman who is desperately pining after Manny who feels really unnecessary to the plot but her appearance is only in a side plot. Take away all those and I say you have a much better picture.

What works best in the movie is the relationship between Corinna and Molly. The two of them spend a lot of time together and you can really see the bonding that they go through. There is also a lot of emphasis on not judging people on their appearances (the film is set during the 1950's where there is abundant racism still present) so there's a nice sweet message along with the amusing love and friendship stories. The movie is satisfying and although there are a few hiccups there are also some good laughs and more than a few dramatic moments that will get to you. (On VHS, February 27, 2013).

"Corinna, Corinna" is a bit sappy at times but it's heartwarming and Whoopi Goldberg" plays her part very well. Most of the performances in the film are actually pretty good, from child actress Molly Singer to Ray Liotta and most of the unconvincing parts are due to them being written in a fashion that's way too exaggerated. At the beginning of the film we see a bunch of candidate nannies that are way over-the-top, from one that just loves to drink all the time, to the frigid old bat that hates children but wants to look after them regardless to an insane woman who wants to replace the dead "Singer" wife in every way you can imagine. Once those characters leave the picture (and thankfully they don't last long) we still have an annoying woman who is desperately pining after "Manny" who feels really unecessary to the plot but her appearance is only in a side plot.

What works in the movie is the relationship between "Corinna" and "Molly". The two of them spend a lot of time together and you can really see the bonding that they go through. There is also a lot of emphasis on not judging people on their appearances (the film is set during the 1950's where there is abundant racism still present) so there's a nice sweet message along with the amusing love and friendship stories. The movie is satisfying and although there are a few hiccups there are also some good laughs and more than a few dramatic moments that will get to you. (VHS, February 27, 2013).