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Mr. & Mrs. Bridge

Mr. & Mrs. Bridge

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: TWO GREAT ACTORS CAN MAKE INTERESTING A CONVENTIONAL MOVIE.
Review: "Mr. And Mrs. Bridge" stars Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, playing a 1940 marriage. This is a conventional drama with excellent performances, the characters are nothing out of this world, they are a bunch of characters very similar to real life people, the story is not very original, it's just a bunch of rich people living a conventional life, but these two great actors carried on their shoulders the weight of an otherwise uninteresting movie, making "Mr. And Mrs. Bridge" an enjoyable movie.

Basically this is the story of the struggle between two generations, the iron hand discipline of a stiff father and the "rebellion" of his daughter and son who want to escape from the monotony of the life of their parents. And trapped in the middle is Mrs. Bridge, who even though she mostly obeys her husband, once in a while she likes to try new things to inject happiness to her life.

"Mr. And Mrs. Bridge" is an entertaining movie thanks to the performances of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: TWO GREAT ACTORS CAN MAKE INTERESTING A CONVENTIONAL MOVIE.
Review: "Mr. And Mrs. Bridge" stars Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, playing a 1940 marriage. This is a conventional drama with excellent performances, the characters are nothing out of this world, they are a bunch of characters very similar to real life people, the story is not very original, it's just a bunch of rich people living a conventional life, but these two great actors carried on their shoulders the weight of an otherwise uninteresting movie, making "Mr. And Mrs. Bridge" an enjoyable movie.

Basically this is the story of the struggle between two generations, the iron hand discipline of a stiff father and the "rebellion" of his daughter and son who want to escape from the monotony of the life of their parents. And trapped in the middle is Mrs. Bridge, who even though she mostly obeys her husband, once in a while she likes to try new things to inject happiness to her life.

"Mr. And Mrs. Bridge" is an entertaining movie thanks to the performances of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh my God it's my Aunt Marjorie!
Review: Anyone who is originally from the Midwest has a Mrs. Bridge in the family, maybe not as affluent, but just as dippy and helpless. Mrs. Bridge knows enough to resent vaguely her helplessness and the fact that Mr. Bridge makes all of her decisions for her. The viewer is sympathetic with her plight and starts to feel that Mr. Bridge is indeed being mean & unfair to her...but then Mrs. Bridge goes and does something that underscores her inability to cope for herself.

There were more scenes than I can count that just made me cringe, because I recognized my dippy Aunt Marjorie, again & again, in Mrs. Bridge. The spirit of Mrs. Bridge remains alive and well, even today.

This was a great character study of the two Bridges. The other members of the family, and some of the friends of the Bridges, are a bit fuzzier in their definition, but that is not all that important. This is a very engrossing movie in many respects.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh my God it's my Aunt Marjorie!
Review: Anyone who is originally from the Midwest has a Mrs. Bridge in the family, maybe not as affluent, but just as dippy and helpless. Mrs. Bridge knows enough to resent vaguely her helplessness and the fact that Mr. Bridge makes all of her decisions for her. The viewer is sympathetic with her plight and starts to feel that Mr. Bridge is indeed being mean & unfair to her...but then Mrs. Bridge goes and does something that underscores her inability to cope for herself.

There were more scenes than I can count that just made me cringe, because I recognized my dippy Aunt Marjorie, again & again, in Mrs. Bridge. The spirit of Mrs. Bridge remains alive and well, even today.

This was a great character study of the two Bridges. The other members of the family, and some of the friends of the Bridges, are a bit fuzzier in their definition, but that is not all that important. This is a very engrossing movie in many respects.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another gem from Merchant-Ivory !
Review: I adore this movie. The performances of Paul and Joanne are near perfect. This is no "leave it to beaver " family but a group of individuals all struggling to make sense of their surroundings and ultimately failing to connect with each other. India is the most touching character, estranged from her family, she seeks solace in her best friend. The last scene was a touch puzzling, but I figured it was meant to represent Mrs. Bridge's isolation and helplessness. I thought Blythe Danner was excellent too as the kooky wife battling the bourgeois conformity that surrounded her.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Newman and Woodward Equally Wonderful
Review: I don't know why so many people always give short shrift to Paul Newman when he appears with his wife, Joanne Woodward, in a film. They are both stunning actors at the peak of their acting powers in this movie. There really is no need to compare and contrast perfection itself. Merchant-Ivory is wonderful at handling the upper classes, whether they be British or American, in London, or, in this case, Kansas City, in the 1930s and 1940s. What stands out most vividly to me is that Mr. Bridges' heart condition is really not treatable back then. We are so used to heart surgery now, that life lived with a heart condition back in the 1930s and 1940s is forgotten as being an entirely different situation. The movie is about this couple and their extended family and the crises they weather. This, however, is basically what every Merchant-Ivory film is about and this one covers every nuance within the Bridges' family's structure and behavior. I really love the beautiful body of film work by Merchant-Ivory and I'm really glad that some of it is American, set in our heartland, with the cream of our acting crop.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Newman and Woodward Equally Wonderful
Review: I don't know why so many people always give short shrift to Paul Newman when he appears with his wife, Joanne Woodward, in a film. They are both stunning actors at the peak of their acting powers in this movie. There really is no need to compare and contrast perfection itself. Merchant-Ivory is wonderful at handling the upper classes, whether they be British or American, in London, or, in this case, Kansas City, in the 1930s and 1940s. What stands out most vividly to me is that Mr. Bridges' heart condition is really not treatable back then. We are so used to heart surgery now, that life lived with a heart condition back in the 1930s and 1940s is forgotten as being an entirely different situation. The movie is about this couple and their extended family and the crises they weather. This, however, is basically what every Merchant-Ivory film is about and this one covers every nuance within the Bridges' family's structure and behavior. I really love the beautiful body of film work by Merchant-Ivory and I'm really glad that some of it is American, set in our heartland, with the cream of our acting crop.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 2 thumbs up
Review: If you are looking for violence, lots of sex and fast cars, wrong movie! But if you are looking for a thought provoking, tender, poignant and often funny story, you've hit the jackpot. I am running out of adjectives for my two favorite actors (Newman and Woodward ought to be declared America's royalty) They shine here. Much deserved Oscar nomination for Woodward and should have been one for Newman, who never ceases to amaze. Blythe Danner is a plus as well. I thouroughly enjoyed it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Some bridges to cross ...
Review: It's hard not to at least admire "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge." Everyone in the cast delivers a great performance (although I'm not sure Joanne Woodward should have been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar). Some cool scenes, some tense scenes, some heartbreaking scenes ... but ultimately, I think, somewhat cold and distant. UNLESS this was the desired effect. In that case ... yes, perfect in every way.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A movie with memorable moments
Review: This is one of those films with a lot of those "Memorable Moments" that you will remember years after viewing it. The scene where Mr. Bridge refuses to let a dangerous storm spoil his dinner. The hotel bedroom scene where Mr. and Mrs. Bridge find themselves sleeping akwardly in front of a mirror. The scene where Mr. Bridge takes Mrs. Bridge to a cabaret in France filled with scantily clad women doing the Can-Can and the priceless look that Mrs. Bridge has on her face.

It's about two traditional people thrust into a new world filled with free thinkers and sexual awakenings and the honest, but humerous reactions as they try to deal with it all. Everytime I watch this film I'm suprised at what I didn't catch before, and even the scenes I remember always seem to catch me off guard.

The humor comes from the humanity within the two main characters, and it's often more funny than the best comedies you will ever watch.

Highly recommended!


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