Review of On Golden Pond (1981) by Leighton T — 20 May 2008

To concentrate in majority on Fonda and Hepburn is obviously pointless, because they are they are both perfect here.

My complaints, for the film, lie in the dialouge and the music. "Trite" as the plot below says is how I feel about the dialouge at certain times. But, you can only really feel it in Jane Fonda's performance. Henry and Katharine can see past it, thankfully. It is Ms. Fonda who, in a way, ruins the movie for me. She is obviously trying to live up to both of these screen giants (futility at its best). And, it also could be the troubles with her dad translating on-screen. I guess Woody Allen might be right: life imitates bad television, and thus reality lends itself to melodramatic tones and puffy eyes in her time onscreen. Yet, it is only she who seems 2-dimensional, flat, and bland.

The music is also a bit of annoyance, bombastically bringing itself in in places where it isn't needed. I mean, these two leads could've put on one-man shows in cardboard boxes and still beat out the other four Oscar nominees. After the beginning, the score does die down, but my gosh is it annoyingly cliche in the first 20 or so minutes.

The ending is the scene that really hooked me on this film. T.S. Eliot said it best when he realized that words are inadequate; that is exactly how I feel about this scene. The pain captured on Hepburn's face is like no other I've ever seen on film or in real life. It is knowing, understanding. Wisdom and years lie behind it. It is though we are seeing this couple's whole life flash across her eyes, and the realization that she might have to live out the rest of hers alone. But keenly, it is Fonda who brings a smile back into her eyes and the scene back to life with a husky laugh which means a whole lot more in its essence than its appearance.

Recommended to those who need an example of what true acting (and love) is.