Review of Passion Fish (1992) by Alec B — 16 Oct 2008

Its remarkable that a film about a recently crippled woman, who returns to her Louisiana hometown, and is subsequently cared for by a black woman who was a former drug addict never even comes close to being cheesy or feel like a one of those stupid lifetime movies.

I owe that to John Sayles who allows the characters to drive the story. Mary McDonnell is one of the most underrated actresses alive and she gives a brilliant performance as the former Soap star who now must cope with life as a paraplegic.

Alfre Woodard, who is ironically known for doing a lot of Hallmark movies, is surprisingly restrained as the nurse. The film hardly ever enters cliche' territory. What I really loved was at the end, both characters have grown considerably, but neither one has any real clue about the future.