Review of Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson (1987) by Adam R — 18 Jan 2010

Boredom is the least of this movie's problems. The section of the film known as "A Table at Ciro's" - though it smacks of rushed made-for-TV movie quality - still has a lot to like about it, notably Darren McGavin and Kenneth McMillan's performances as two washed-up Hollywood heavy hitters trying desperately to hang onto past glories. Sure, there were problems, primarily a badly constructed romance between McGavin's character's wife (Lois Chiles) and a Rudolph Valentino-style Latin lothario (Steven Bauer) and a load of bad dialogue, but it was still charming.

However, the train that is "Power, Passion, and Murder" goes off the rails when the story switches - rapidly and with little warning - to the woes of promising young actress Natica Jackson (Michelle Pfeiffer) as she engages in an affair with an unhappily married man with tragic consequences. Nevermind that the romance is pathetic and chemistry-free; around this time, the post-synchronization of the dialogue and the physical quality of the film itself deteriorates so much that it makes "Power" basically unwatchable, and not just because of the putrid melodrama onscreen.