I THOUGHT THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT PORTRAYAL OF POLITICS IN THE USA. ALAN ALDA WAS EXCELLENT AS ALWAYS BUT BARBARA HARRIS'S PERFORMANCE WAS TRULY
MAGNIFICENT. IF YOU LIKE MOVIES ABOUT POLITICS THIS WILL SUIT YOUR
FANCY.
July 16, 2007One of Alan's first films after his appearance on MASH. He plays a US senator who lusts for Meryl Streep's character, a lobbyist from Louisiana. Meryl carries Alan in this film and you can tell Alda is learning to act for the big screen. In all it is a delightful film with a great supporting cast. (Barbara Harris)
January 9, 2007 |  | Alan Alda'a finest hour in film |  |
I first saw this film on late night tv in high school. It was the first film I ever saw that effectively conveyed the inner workings of washington politics- How things actually get done.
Its theme- What happens when idealism clashes with personal ambition? - is still relevant in these times. Joe Tynan will remind you of many politicians on the cusp of national prominence.
The film's plot entails a liberal U.S. Senator from New York who sees a political opportunity in leading the opposition to a controversial supreme court nominee. After he succeeds, it then explores the personal consequences of the higher political profile this action has brought.
Alan Alda (who wrote the script- his best- I don't how the same guy wrote "Betsy's Wedding")- gave a very nuanced, three dimensional performance as Joe Tynan. The character is a likeable, idealistic fellow being "seduced" ever so slowly by presidential ambition. How much is he willing to sacrifice for the ultimate prize?
This film should be required viewing for West Wing fans who'd like to see Mr. Alda in another political role.
Meryl Streep is excellent as Joe Tynan's colleague/lover. Look out for a subtle scene with Rip Torn. It is hysterical!
July 20, 2005This is the best political film ever made. Other films distort, simplify or just plain get wrong what federal politics is like at the highest levels. As one who used to work in the White House, I can tell you that this is the only film that understands and reveals what the game is really like.
This is the best film Alan Alda ever made, and Meryl Streep and Rip Torn are both very strong as well. This film MUST be reissued in DVD! Criterion Collection--are you listening? Please! March 16, 2004
If you're into politics, you might enjoy this film. Supposedly, its a very realistic view of the U.S. Senate and as such, it'll be interesting for those of us who consider Allen Drury to be light reading. As a film, though, its somewhat draggy and very much a product of the late, self-righteous 1970s. Alan Alda is a young Senator named Joe Tynan, an ambitious liberal who has an affair with Meryl Streep that leads to his perfect world starting to collapse around him. There's not really much of a plot to the film -- its mostly a collection of scenes of Tynan campaigning, cheating, and legislating. Some films work without a clearly defined plot but this film just seems to be sort of a mess. Alan Alda was brave to play a character who is, occasionally, rather unsympathetic but at the same time, Tynan still carries a lot of the smug, self-righteousness that Alda brought to the final seasons of M*A*S*H so if you disliked Alda on that show, this movie probably isn't for you. That said, this film also contains one of Meryl Streep's few truly genuine, human performances (she doesn't fall back on the obvious "actorly" technique that's marred recent performances) and she's actually quite sexy in a role that I'm sure screenwriter Alda thought would come across as "liberated" but actually smacks of a certain unacknowledged sexism (for she may be a smart, accomplished, independent activist but she's still basically there to have sex with and sing the praises of Joe Tynan). Two of Alda's fellow Senators are played brilliantly by Melvyn Douglas and Rip Torn (who at times seemes to be playing Pennsylvania's own Snarlin' Arlen Specter though the film actually predates Specter's election). Highly praised at the time, the film is mostly forgotten today but it has its occasional moments.
September 28, 2001More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
(8 reviews)