Lynette Gaines

It’s an odd feeling to be halfway through a movie before realizing I had seen it many, many years ago. It took a ride on a pulley and a rope to view murals up close in an abandoned monastery to bring it back. How could I forget this movie? I am getting older, and I forget many things, so, I guess I got the experience of seeing it again with fresh eyes and it was wonderful. Heartbreaking too. The cinematography was breathtaking and so many actors that I love were there to enjoy again.

It’s hard to not appreciate a movie starring Cary Grant, but maybe this one just didn’t age well. The only humorous scenes involved the judge in the courtroom. That was where we also got our first clue that wife #2 was not going to be as sweet and charming as the first wife. Okay, the elevator scene was funny, but it didn’t take me long to grow impatient with all the tactics and excuses necessary to make this into a movie. We all know he’s going to end up with his first wife because this is a very old movie that still had couples sleeping in separate twin beds. So, why does his first wife think it’s funny to make him sleep in the attic when they have two beds anyway? She finally wins him back and then punishes him, possibly because he took way too long to untangle the mess. He comes out looking spineless, afraid to explain the truth to his new wife. She has to be unlikable so we won’t feel bad when she finally hears the truth. This movie could be a great remake, yes, another remake. This time, make the returning wife less attractive after spending 7 years on an island with no sunscreen. All she did was raise the hemline of her dress to be back in style. Let’s be realistic and say that Adam and Eve became romantically involved over time instead of insisting that they didn’t. Two attractive people are stuck together on a remote island for several years and it stayed platonic? What if she would rather stay with Adam, but she can’t resist turning up to see how the kids are doing and someone recognizes her? She hears that her husband has just remarried so she doesn’t have to worry about him. What should she do? I’m obviously not a screenwriter, but I see potential for a great movie here…comedy or tragedy. I can’t decide.

Do I need to say SPOILER ALERT to talk about the ending? I always thought the final straw for Charlotte Rampling’s character was when she and her husband were dancing to “their song” Smoke Gets In Your Eyes at their anniversary celebration. It seemed like it was the first time she ever listened to the lyrics, and understood 45 years too late that her husband was still in love with the young woman who died. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes as she pulled her hand away.

This movie seems to get better every time I watch it. Dustin Hoffman has always been amazing, but this time I realized just how good Jon Voight was, too. By the time the bus reached Miami I was holding back tears. Two men who couldn’t have been more different from each other at the beginning held each other together till the end, forming an unusual friendship along the way.

The only reason I watched the movie was to see Timothy Olyphant. That was misleading since he only had two short scenes as the manager of a grocery store. Why would he even agree to appear in this flop to begin with? Embarrassing! Same with Kevin Kline. I just watched A Fish Called Wanda again because he and John Cleese were so amazingly talented together. So again, here are two very powerful stars who, god knows why, agreed to be in this horrible movie. Kevin’s role made no sense whatsoever, but he tried. Timothy was great delivering his two scenes, but after watching Justified so many times, I can’t understand why he would bother with this cameo role. Melissa McCarthy was hilarious in Bridesmaids but she too was miscast in this movie. It took way too long for the audience to find out what happened to the baby, and by then I couldn’t work up any grief about it. We never even saw a photograph of her. If you want to see us all in tears, we can watch Steel Magnolias again. This was a total waste of talented actors in a movie that didn’t make sense.

Peter Sellers desperately wanted to be in this movie, and I’m so grateful that he got his wish. He understood Chauncey completely. Even though the viewers know the truth, we want to see him succeed in securing his happiness… not in politics, but working in those spectacular gardens with Eve at his side. If he can walk on water, he can do anything.

I’ve read several excellent reviews below and just want to add a note. The first time I watched this movie was back when Netflix was still mailing out movies in red envelopes. They had a great selection of foreign films to choose from. I could even decide what country the film came from and Netflix kept track of how I rated each movie. You could never forget this little gem of a movie. I could still see that green lunchbox making its way across the city in my mind and remember how the wife tried to make the meals so special. What I couldn’t remember was the title of the movie, but after several attempts, I googled the right question, “names of movies that revolve around food. “ The list popped up and I found it! So, tonight I was able to watch it again with streaming on Prime Video for a small fee. It was just as good the second time around and I loved the thought of “taking the wrong train, but ending up at the right station.” I wasn’t expecting a typical Hollywood ending where they all live happily ever after. That’s one thing about watching foreign films. I’m never sure it’s over until the credits start rolling.

There has been so much hype over the scene in Love Actually lately where we watch Emma Thompson’s character collapse in grief upon discovering that her husband has been unfaithful. This is an opportunity to see her in an entirely different light, even though we still grieve with her over the outcome of the young man she tried to save. We want to see him grow stronger and move forward in life, but he can’t accept the fact that his own parents were willing to watch him die over a religious belief against blood transfusions. Unfortunately, he tries to attach himself to her, but this isn’t what she had in mind. She obviously cares about him, but isn’t capable of helping him regain his footing in life after losing his faith. He asks for too much, and you can see an unhappy ending will be the result. This isn’t a Hollywood movie, so they don’t live happily ever after, but at least it’s believable. Why this movie wasn’t given more attention when it was released is a surprise. The only reason I watched it was because Emma Thompson was the main character, and she never disappoints.

I’m not a fan of horror movies, but fortunately, this isn’t one. A few scenes may scare the heck out of you, but it’s a great movie that I’ve watched several times over the years. These creatures are either good or evil, such as the faun. The one in the banquet room is pure genius, much more terrifying than watching blood and gore. Sure, the movie has subtitles, but I’ve gotten used to them. Don’t watch alone.