Review of Nashville (1975) by Alexandra W — 25 Jul 2008

One of the common elements in Altman's films is the revelation of humor or pathos or tragedy in the midst of mundane dialogue or banal situations--and "Nashville" is no exception. Life, as we know, consists MAINLY of mundane dialogue and banal situations, and thus the power of Altman's films arises from that sense of reality. The people of "Nashville" feel genuine; they behave like real people. They don't have to rely on jokes or gags or one-liners to get us to laugh. They are just being human, and we identify with their flaws, their dreams and their struggles. And in Altman's films, there is often something fascinating going on beneath the banality of the surface. The challenge is to not get lost in the banality.

There's a scene in Nashville when Delbert (Ned Beatty) is in his kitchen heating up a pan of water in order to hard-boil an egg. The phone rings, and he finds himself eavesdropping on a conversation in which the musician Tom (Keith Carradine) is trying to hook up with Delbert's wife Linnea (Lily Tomlin). Linnea adamently rebuffs Tom and hangs up. "Who was it, Babe?" Delbert calls to her innocently. "Just some crazy person who's been calling here," she says, "and the next time he calls I want you to get on the phone and tell him you're gonna get the police on him." Rather then confront the situation, Delbert responds with a passive, "Okay," and then drops his egg into the hot water. End of scene. Now, we know by this point that Linnea has had some degree of interest in Tom, but we don't know how far she is willing to go with it. The juxtaposition of possible marital infidelity with the boiling of an egg always gives me a chuckle. On top of that, there's Delbert's wimpy, "Okay," to put an end to the whole ugly moment. It's funny and yet heartbreaking, and more importantly, it feels like real life. No, it's not "comedy", but there is certainly humor to be found there, just as in life. And there's no music on the soundtrack to tell us what we're supposed to be feeling. There's no close-up of Beatty's face to make sure we sense his anxiety. It's just life. And that's what intrigues me and entertains me in Altman's universe, and will always keep me coming back.