Review of On Golden Pond (1981) by Elliott F — 24 Dec 2010
So 80's it hurts. Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda both won Oscars for their performances as a happily married couple in their twilight years and a month in their life when they had a thirteen-year-old boy who is their daughter's fiancà (C)e's son stay with them in their cottage on Golden Pond.
Unfortunately, these two film icons deserved a better swansong than this sticky concoction. The two leads are such brilliant actors, but not so much here; Hepburn, who we all love, has given the world countless gems of performances, from The Lion in Winter to all of her films with Spencer Tracy, but here, she's just phoning a performance in, it seems.
Henry Fonda, God love him, seems to know here that he doesn't have much time left; he won his Oscar, but passed away a couple of months later. Jane Fonda shows up as the couple's estranged daughter and cries for a little bit, but the film is just so soppy.
It just goes to show that three incredibly gifted actors can't save a bad film.
This review of On Golden Pond (1981) was written by Elliott F on 24 Dec 2010.
On Golden Pond has generally received very positive reviews.
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