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'That Old Feeling': Weak script, strong performances
April 9, 1997
Web posted at: 3:30 a.m. ESTFrom Reviewer Paul Tatara
(CNN) -- I've been fighting it for years now, but I guess I better resign myself to the fact that summer movies are expected to be somewhat less substantial than the usual Hollywood product.
I'm not going to condone this mind set; I'm only accepting it. It just seems to me that, given a little gumption, the studios should be able to yank a steak off the same cow that gives them hamburger meat.
"That Old Feeling" is a virtually patty-less Big Mac of a movie, but the special sauce is far tastier than it has any right to be. I should say right now that I'd rather be whacked on the head with a very thick plank than spend an evening with Bette Midler. Aside from "The Rose," in which she was quite good indeed, I've never seen Midler do anything that would even remotely explain her huge on-screen popularity.
That said, I'm quite shocked to report that Midler's performance here often verges on the agreeable.
There are several things that go right in "That Old Feeling," although there are just as many that go wrong. Happily, good old-fashioned comic timing and some highly unexpected romantic fireworks win in the end.
Serious sparks
Midler plays Lilly, an aging actress who has to bite the bullet for one day and make nice with her ex-husband, Dan (Dennis Farina), while their daughter marries an up-and-coming politician.
Midler and Farina's characters don't just dislike each other, they hate each other with the kind of theatrically seething rage that you usually see when boxers are being introduced to each other at Caesar's Palace.
The dialogue (by writer Leslie Dixon) is of the bantering, wisecrack-zinger-barb variety. Farina makes fun of Midler's dress, Midler makes fun of Farina's hair, etc. It isn't funny at all, but I was definitely on Farina's side.
Dan and Lilly are asked to leave the wedding reception when they start bellowing at each other. Then, when they get to the car, they unexpectedly rediscover the hots for each other. A back-seat rendezvous ensues. This is when something interesting happens -- performance-wise, anyway.
When they're not given dialogue that sounds like it was swiped from an episode of "The Ropers," Midler and Farina are wonderful together.
I've always been a big Dennis Farina fan, and there's a good chance you're one, too, even though you probably don't know his name. Until now, he's no doubt best known for his tough-guy performance in "Get Shorty." You also may remember him as the mobster in "Midnight Run" who threatens to jab a No. 2 pencil through the heart of his bumbling henchman. Who would have guessed that he could be such a light-on-his-feet romantic lead?
Farina and Midler absolutely glow around each other. You get the feeling that these two (the actual people, as well as their characters) get a real jolt from each other.
In one scene, Midler sings a lovely song for Farina in a quiet restaurant and they even slow dance together. The fact that neither of these events made me want to gag is an almost supernatural occurrence.
I would love to see the two of them in another movie. You don't come across this kind of perfectly matched chemistry very often, especially in two actors who look like actual human beings.
Supporting cast show flair
The thin plot deals with Lilly and Dan's daughter, Molly (a very appealing Paula Marshall), trying to track down her wayward parents after they abandon their spouses and go for a New York City fling shortly after the wedding. Molly leaves behind her smug husband and brings along a goofy, loudmouthed paparazzi (Danny Nucci) who is an expert at tracking down camera-shy movie stars.
Marshall and Nucci are great, too. It's not too hard to tell that they'll be getting kissy-faced with each other before the movie is over, but the ride is very nice. These two young performers show a lot of flair for romantic comedy.
I should make some mention of Carl Reiner, who directed the picture. Reiner is a solid comic director ("The Man With Two Brains" and "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" are minor classics, if you ask me), but he very often ends up saddled with inadequate material. His years of experience on such timeless TV programs as "Your Show of Shows" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" are apparent in all of his films.
Somebody orchestrated the winning performances in "That Old Feeling," and the credit should go to Carl Reiner. Sign these people up again when there's a better script available!
Related story:
- 'That Old Feeling' sparks strong feelings on life after 40 - April 4, 1997
Related sites:
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- That Old Feeling (official movie site)
- Movieweb - That Old Feeling
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