Network (1976)

Salute to Television Movie #2

Synopsis: Just imagine a two-hour episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, except Lou is a burnt-out weakling, Mary has lost her moral compass, and Ted Baxter is completely insane. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Even more compelling than when it was first released, Network is a wickedly funny, dead-on indictment of the TV news media.” 

What Did I Learn?: There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon.

You Might Like This Movie If: You want to see somebody profit from a mental meltdown.

Really?: 1) I had a bit of a hard time believing an American TV network would establish a symbiotic relationship with a home-grown Maoist terrorist group without facing criminal charges or at least a massive boycott campaign. 2) So wait – Dana (Faye Dunaway) plays a key role in getting Max (William Holden) fired, and she’s shamelessly exploiting his best friend’s insanity, and he wants to leave his wife to be with her? WTF? 3) Hold on – the Network President (Ned Beatty) yells at Beale (Peter Finch), and Beale immediately does a 180? Considering he has the hottest show on television, why doesn’t he tell Arthur Jensen to jump in the lake and then take his show to a rival network? I really didn't buy that scene. 

Rating: Network is a scathing – and surprisingly prescient – satire of the American television industry in the mid-1970s. The film won four Academy Awards (including best screenplay), and it’s filled with impressive performances. Network is a very good film, but it left me feeling cold for the simple reason that none of its characters are even remotely likable. 7.5/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074958/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Switching Channels (1988)

Salute to Television Movie #1 (Please click the links to read my reviews of UHF, The Mogul/The Ratings Game, and Delirious) 

Oh, and this would have been perfect for my salute to Burt Reynolds last year. 

Synopsis: It’s basically The Front Page, stripped of its original, snappy dialogue, and performed by former A-list stars who were past their prime in 1988.  

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “All is fair in love and war, not to mention news, weather and sports in this contemporary screwball comedy starring three of Hollywood’s most popular stars.” 

What Did I Learn?: Apparently, Chicago means “the smell of wild onions,” while New York means “New York.” 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that anything can happen in the wild and crazy world of 24-hour cable news.

 

Really?: 1) For obvious reasons, it’s sort-of amusing that Christopher Reeve’s character would be deathly afraid of heights, but man, this joke gets old, fast. 2) Speaking of Reeve, he starts out as a nice, sensitive fellow – he even saves Christy’s (Kathleen Turner) life in a boating accident – and then turns into an anal-retentive control freak. It’s almost as though screenwriter Jonathan Reynolds didn’t really know how to handle him. 3) See: “Synopsis”. Seriously, why in the world would you do a remake of The Front Page without using a single line of dialogue from the source material? Even the character names have been changed! 

Rating: I wouldn’t say that Switching Channels is a bad movie, but it comes perilously close to being one. Reynolds, Turner and Reeve do their best with the script, but as a send-up of the 24-hour cable news industry, Switching Channels isn’t particularly funny or insightful, and the new material doesn’t really fit with the storyline from The Front Page. 5.5/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096203/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

The Front Page (1974)

Dang – this movie would have been perfect for my salute to Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau! 

Synopsis: Skilful, sunny scribe seduces sexy singer, stashes swell scofflaw, stonewalls scuzzy stooge sheriff, satisfies slippery supervisor.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “The ruthless managing editor of a Chicago newspaper, Walter Burns (Walther Matthau) angrily learns his ace reporter Hildy Johnson (Jack Lemmon) plans to leave the paper to get married and enter the advertising business. Meanwhile, Hildy is breaking in a new reporter at the Criminal Courts Building when all hell breaks loose.” 

What Did I Learn?: The electric chair lends itself to creating better headlines than the noose. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You figure it must be a two-hour episode of a certain show.

 

Really?: The Front Page is a screwball comedy, so it seems a little unfair to judge it on its overall credibility. That said, I had a hard time believing Hildy wouldn’t quit on the spot the moment he discovers Burns has falsely told Peggy (Susan Sarandon) that he’s some sort of sex pervert.  

Rating: The Front Page is a fast-paced, and generally funny adaptation of the Ben Hecht/Charles McArthur’s 1928 Broadway comedy. Lemmon and Matthau share a natural chemistry as the charming Hildy and the cynical-but-loveable Burns, but they don't enjoy a lot of screen time together. While the film features an impressive cast, it's a little too stagey for my taste. Even worse, many of the actors wildly overact (Carol Burnett really didn't like her performance, and actually apologized for it), and resort to yelling and shouting, making The Front Page a surprisingly loud movie. 7/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071524/?ref_=rvi_tt

Come Back to the 5 and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)

Synopsis: Six emotionally fucked-up chicks reminisce about the time something exciting almost took place in their dying town. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “A cup of coffee and a side of dreams.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) A slowly passing train is so romantic. 2) Prosperity, unfortunately, it's a fleeting thing.

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that a lifelong commitment to Jimmy Dean will only lead to heartbreak.

Really?: 1) I realize Come Back to the 5 and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is based upon a stage play, but come one – this is a movie, with a budget. Why couldn’t Altman create a sense of atmosphere by showing a few outdoor scenes, or even giving us a look at Joanne’s often-mentioned yellow sports car? 2) So wait – there’s a brief mention of customers, but we never see any, and it’s obvious the local economy croaked a long time ago. How in the world does the Woolworth’s stay open, let alone pay Cissy’s (Cher) salary? 3) Wow – take a drink every time Sandy Dennis screams at somebody. 4) Oh, and take a drink every time we hear this song. [Gaa - it's STILL running through my head!]

Rating: I wouldn’t say that Come Back to the 5 and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is one of Robert Altman’s better films (I’m personally fond of Short Cuts, The Player and California Split), but it’s a memorable look at the regrets we inevitable feel as we get older, and the facades we build. The Disciples of James Dean aren’t particularly likeable women, but they’re human, and the three leads: Cher, Karen Black, and Sandy Dennis richly deserve credit for complex performances. Oh, and the final scene of the abandoned five-and-dime, circa 1995 is truly haunting. 7/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083745/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

They Call Me Mr. Tibbs! (1970)

Please click the link to read my review of In the Heat of the Night. 

Synopsis: It’s the long-awaited sequel to In the Heat of the Night, except...there’s no Southern sheriff, no racism, and Virgil Tibbs is a child-abusing jerk. Hmm...it isn’t much of a sequel, is it? 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “They call him Mister Tibbs, one of the toughest, shrewdest, most resourceful detectives ever to carry a badge.”

What Did I Learn?: Ed Asner really shouldn’t wear a toupee. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You'll watch anything that involves a tough-as-nails African-American who insists upon referring to himself as "Mister."

 

Really?: 1) So, wait – in the film, In the Heat of the Night, Virgil Tibbs was a Philadelphia cop. Now he’s based in San Francisco, and he and his wife have known Rev. Sharpe for over 15 years. Aren’t we owed at least some explanation for this inconsistency? 2) See: “Synopsis”. Seriously, Tibbs catches his grade school-age son smoking cigarettes, and he decides to teach him a lesson by giving him a cigar and a glass liquor? Even worse, Tibbs slaps his son across the face several times to get him to pick up some Lego. All of this is rather disturbing. 3) Funny how NOBODY ever once addresses the protagonist as “Mister Tibbs” – it’s always “Virge.” 4) THAT’s the ending? Seriously? Why did I invest two hours into this story? 

Rating: They Call Me Mister Tibbs! isn’t a bad movie by any stretch, but much like The French Connection II, it’s an unnecessary sequel that isn’t as good as the original. Moreover, the plot tends to meander, and Tibbs’ questionable parenting skills make him surprisingly unlikeable to a modern audience. 6/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066450/?ref_=nv_sr_1