A nice enjoyable, though pretty ordinary and obvious movie. I figured out the so-called "plot twists" in the first 10 minutes. But that's okay. I thought Rob Lowe was lovely, with a depth and earnestness that he doesn't show at this level so often. But the main thing I felt was just the utter lovliness of Meg Tilly. She is such an unusual, ethereal, pure beauty, so different from the vast majority of hollywood actresses, even the very attractive ones.
She has a presence on the screen that comes across as so deeply genuine and vulnerable -- it's hard to even remember that she's a terrific actor, to me it always appears that one is seeing her real heart shining through that luminous skin. She really is moving, and even in a very ordinary, romantic movie like this, she stands out as if she's from another realm, one where people are completely genuine. To my mind, she never strikes a false note.
I used to teach film (in 2 different universities), and I worked hard to guide students to see beyond acting and movie stars, to learn to see film as skilled artifice, to see it as a visual medium, producing a highly codified version of "reality." I encouraged students to learn to see shots, cuts, framing, editing -- the very difficult and precise skill of the director -- rather than just thoughtlessly turning over their conscious minds to the actors alone.
But a movie like this (no particular skill in the direction if you ask me....wait, did you ask me??), really reminds me of how lovely a good actor can be. Good, genuine acting -- when an actor is really able to behave so honestly and openly in the presence of the camera -- is actually quite powerful, and can not just "carry you away," but affect your emotions about your own life.
Ha. I'll bet this all seems ridiculously obvious to most of you viewers! Just goes to show how obtuse us intellectual, analytical types can be sometimes!
So anyway, Meg is deeply beautiful, genuine and honest. And those were some of the most beautiful sex scenes I've ever seen. Definitely a good watch.