Getting right to it this week, Tuesday's Forgotten Film is the 1991 romance Once Around. Wikipedia has a very good summary of the film, so I'll just let them do the talking:
"The Bellas are a proud family of Italian Americans living in Boston, Massachusetts. Joe (Danny Aiello) is a soon-to-be retired construction worker and his wife Marilyn (Gena Rowlands) a home-maker. Their oldest son Tony is married, while their youngest daughter Jan (Laura San Giacomo) is about to tie the knot herself. This leaves Renata (Holly Hunter), the eldest daughter, feeling upset and confused as to what the future may bring. After learning that her boyfriend Rob is not planning on marrying her, Renata leaves him for good.
She winds up meeting a charming, albeit abrasive salesman named Sam Sharpe (Richard Dreyfuss, who also co-produced). The two begin a courtship but Renata's family is skeptical of Sam from the get-go, especially Jan. Their parents, Joe and Marilyn, are more easily manipulated by the fun-loving Sam, who has given their daughter a happy, up-scale life. But even they come to resent his uncouth behavior, chain-smoking and constant meddling."
The scenes in which the relations between Sam and the Bella family can be uncomfortable to watch, but that's the point. Sharpe is at times very charming and friendly, at other times pig-headed and petulant. In the end, his warm side wins the day (no surprise there) and the film has a bittersweet ending and leaves the viewer satisfied.
The film is readily available on DVD. You can sample the film's trailer below. Thanks!
2 comments:
Hunter certainly was one of those actors who, when on her hot streak, was doing a good job choosing one for the bucks and then one for the art...and usually the ones for the bucks had artistic pretenses as well (notably BROADCAST NEWS)...but this one sounds a bit spikier. Always liked San Giacamo.
It's definitely worth a look.
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