Rating: Summary: Bad Subject Matter Review: It kind of glorifies adultery, which I hate. It's fairly long, dialogue is snappy and well-paced. Writing's not bad. It's saving grace is the soundtrack with Johnny Mathis and Jane Olivor. It's the kind of movie that you watch once then let it collect dust, at least it was for me.
Rating: Summary: IT WAS GREAT Review: IT WAS GREAT ALAN ALDA DOES A WONDERFUL JOB ACTING IN IT HE WAS FUNNY TOO.FROM A BIG ALAN ALDA FAN FOR 4 YEARS NOW KIRSTEN
Rating: Summary: A picture of true love Review: It's hard to summarize what a great movie this is! This movie clearly defines the true meaning of love and the sacrifices that it sometimes requires. The movie was wonderfully written and perfectly casted. It will make you laugh out loud as well as cry out loud. Be prepared to let it move you.
Rating: Summary: Magnificent Review: Magnificent movie with a great soundtrack. Superb acting. In the same league with CAMELOT, MY FAIR LADY, GONE WITH THE WIND, AND THE CASABLANCA.
Rating: Summary: Better Than Ever in DVD! Review: My husband and I have watched this film many times over the years, but we were pleasantly surprised at the clarity of the picture on the new DVD release. We saw things we had never seen before! The scenery of California's Mendocino Coast is beautiful, and one can almost feel the wind blowing. The story affects us differently as we also age. We tend to identify with the characters (not surprisingly!)when they are our own ages. Having been born in the late 40s, their first encounters were in our childhood, but we remember many of the cars, hair and dress styles. The historical data between the "acts" challenges us to identify the persons and events related. Is there a list of that anywhere? The film is a definite must-see for all who like a good romantic film, even with the wrong basic premise. It could almost make adultery popular!
Rating: Summary: ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORIES EVER PUT ON FILM Review: Poignant and powerful, this incredible bittersweet love story will bring tears to the eyes of anyone who has an understanding of what life is really about. It is virtually flawless and shows what can be done with a good story premise, good acting, and a simple set. No special effects or computerized videographics are needed.The subject of adultry is treated in a way that is bound to raise conflict in those who are morally sensitive. At the end one can only sympathise with the couple who, in their own way, were soulmates for 26 years, yet also in their own way remained loyal and devoted to their spouses and families. Impossible? See this film before drawing any conclusions. I am not an Alda fan, but for this one I make a strong exception. He is very convincing. And Ellen Burstyn is the girl next door that any man who breathes would fall in love with. Their chemistry in the film is electric.This story is about morality that transcends the tawdry urges of the flesh. In this respect it is both a love story and a morality play. I am sure that variations of the plot have actually occurred in real life but have been taken to the grave to avoid hurting loved ones. This is about average people caught up in a situation they could neither resist, understand, or control.Don't pass this one up.
Rating: Summary: Review of Same Time, Next Year Review: Robert Mulligan's adaption of Berhard Slade's broadway play not only shows 26 years of American history but also the personal histories of the two main characters. The stories of their lives - togheter and apart- is preseted within a kaleidoscope of feelings; everything from funny to sad and - above all - touching. Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn brilliantly portray George and Doris and their personal crisis. Watch this and weep!
Rating: Summary: Through The Years Review: Stage plays are not that easy to translate to the big screen. The difficulty comes because of the amount of space used to tell the story as a play. Films usually play out on a much bigger canvas than that. Only a skilled director and a top notch cast can make it work. Fortunately, Same Time Next Year works as a movie, because both of those ingredients are there in excess.
George Peters (Alan Alda) and Doris (Ellen Burstyn), thanks to a chance encounter at a California inn, begin what turns into a 26 year long affair. Despite being married to others, the mismatched couple agree to meet for an annual weekend getaway, at that same inn. Altered by the events of an ever changing world, in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the film marks the passage of time in between visits by using still black and white photos. Through their personal challenges, the couple grows and changes as the years roll by, making for a dramatic journey.
Based on the Broadway stage play by Bernard Slade, who also penned the screenplay, the film version boasts crisp direction from Robert Mulligan (To Kill A Mockingbird). He doesn't let the play imposed limitations stop him. Rather than change things up though, he embraces those limits and allows the story and the actors to speak for the material. Burstyn and Alda have excellent chemistry with one another. You are drawn into the couples' lives in a real way. Like life, the film is dramatic funny, and a bit unpredictable.
The DVD doesn't have any bonus material on it. Happily though, and in spite of that, the film's quality speaks for itself. The romance is there but not overdone, as is the social commentary. Same Time Next Year is one of the better play to film adaptations ever produced.
Rating: Summary: Although the story may be compelling, it's still adultery Review: The story and characters may draw us in emotionally, and we may find ourselves caring for them on some level, but it is imperative that the thinking viewer always remember that the film is about adultery, betraying the fidelity of marriage, and the "glossing" of this subject. I was especially saddened by the previous reviewer who described living out such a situation, having time once a year for the tryst, the rest of the year for the respective spouses. This was a real-life example of the rationalization of adultery under the guise of romance and love, as shown in the film, with the very odd and ludicrous idea that one can break one's marriage vows once in a while, yet still live with oneself. Fidelity is challenging, yes-why not have a film that portrays fidelity successfully, and holds *that* up for admiration? If one believes marriage is a life-long, committed, faithful relationship, then one cannot "lower the barriers" as the reviewer requested, any more than one should "lower the barriers" for another film depicting another morally deplorable act. This major and fatal flaw destroys any worth the film might otherwise have had.
Rating: Summary: Delightful movie Review: This had to be Alan Alda's best work next to M.A.S.H. I only wish that will able to see the stage version of this movie one day.
|