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Simply Perfect

Fantastic!

best movie i've ever seen.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

There are two good things to be said of Arthur Hiller's Author! Author! (at the Plaza): Tuesday Weld and Dyan Cannon. The former plays Al Pacino's wife, the latter his mistress. Both are actresses of distinction. Both look terrific. Both should be reminded that this too shall pass.As Broadway playwright Ivan Travalian, an Armenian Neil Simon, Al Pacino is another matter. Pacino is an actor of distinction, but he does not look terrific - he looks, in fact, unaccountably dissipated, like mid- period Leonard Cohen - and he has retained the leaden lifelessness he brought to Cruising. Because Israel Horovitz's abominable script was apparently conceived with Richard Dreyfuss in mind (Ivan Travalian is a twinkly, manic shouter), Pacino's lugubriousness sabotages whatever infinitesimal chance the movie might have had for success (it's not what you'd call a great loss).The much-married Ivan is rearing, $ la Dustin Hoffman's Ted Kramer, five children abandoned by Ivan's various wives. He is a loving father and is so devotedly altrustic he is lacking an artist's ego - the reason this mother hen wants the newest play to become a hit is so there will be enough money to feed the chicks.The brood is composed of the most appalling set of exhibitionistic child actors this side of Eight Is Enough; the delicately modulated characterizations achieved from the young performers in E.T. and Poltergeist by Steven Spielberg appear to be the products of another species.That this comedy is not funny is bad enough; that it is resolutely and maliciously anti-female is unforgivable. Miss Weld's witless wife is so self-absorbed the audience actually applauds when Pacino tells her to stay out of the ocean and "give the sharks a break," while Miss Cannon's Broadway actress is so selfish she can't stand more than a week with the playwright's kiddies. (I know why: as a performer of sensitivity, she is tortured by the bad acting in the house.) Kramer vs. Kramer's mild sentimentality about single fathers has become a full-blown disease in Author! Author!: Israel Horovitz hasn't written a character; he's put Mother Teresa into a townhouse. Benjamin Miller, Filmbay Editor.

Apparently, many movie-goers were unhappy with this production featuring Al Pacino as a father, step-father, and foster-father to 5 children, only two of which he sired. Most actors stretch their wings and experiment with different roles throughout their career. Johnny Depp has been a religious experimental actor, seeking his niche, trying on new (and widely versatile) characters until he earned his stardom with the Pirates of the Caribbean series.Here, Pacino has spread his wings and, some have said, fell flat on his face. I must disagree. He plays comedy/drama quite well. This work features some dynamic elements, which helped support his role, namely the beautiful performances by the (then) child actors.This is, by all accounts, a feel-good family movie, complete with fairy tale ending, but the path to that magical ending is strewn with pit-falls, stumbling blocks, and other problems. It is far from realistic, but does not break the contract wherein we, the audience, agree to suspend belief and attempt to subscribe to the premise.Although I can't say this is one of my favorites, I do enjoy this work, and have found that Pacino is quite aptly cast herein. This work does, however, explain by what template Eddie Murphy seemingly molded his failing career. As one can tell by the reviews, action star/comedian cum family man doesn't play well with the fan boys.It rates a 7.3/10 from...the Fiend :.

I caught this one on the TV and frankly speaking this is from Al Pacino's lean period in the eighties. The movie is enjoyable but I was astounded by the dysfunction inherent in the characters. Wow! This is kind of situation I never thought possible in anybody's life. Apparently I was wrong. At first I thought this was a script resulting from an epiphany of a humorous writer but catching shows like Oprah and Dr. Phil I realize there are families which are like the characters of this movie.OK! Al Pacino is this famous Broadway playwright who is writing a play whose opening day isn't far off given the fact that the play isn't even finished. He is this family man who lives with his beautiful wife (Tuesday Weld) and a bunch of kids who you at first assume to be his. Surprise! Surprise! These are an assortment of kids from Pacino's character's previous marriage, current marriage and most of them from his wife's previous unions. Curiously enough these kids are crazy about him and they love each other very much. The problem starts when Pacino's wife tells him that she is leaving him for another man leaving all the kids with him (they prefer to be with him anyway). After that starts this crazy comedy of errors where he tries to finish the play before its deadline, get his wife back, romances the lead actress of his play and send the kids to their actual fathers from where they run away back to him getting the law involved. Its outrageous and hilarious at the same time.Its funny but may not appeal to the funny side of many people (which may have decided it's box-office fate). What amazed me was how the children loved and sympathized with Pacino's character and even advised him against getting back with their mom. Weird! But funny and touching.Anyway many of you may not like it but I assure you that you will not be bored!

Really enjoyed this. It's interesting to see Al doing something a bit 'softer'. As a whole I think the film reflects some concerns with the culture of individualism and addresses them well. The irony is that, as a playwright by profession, the author is by habit the most 'individual' and selfish with his time of all the characters in the film. He spends all his time creating and we are told that he has spent two years working on his play, the production of which marks the beginning of the film. However, during the film, the playwright' s priorities are superseded by the children of his unfaithful and thoroughly horrible wife, who has a blatant, albeit unconscious, disregard for the wellbeing of her offspring. She makes a great speech about how she is 'herself' and 'nothing more' and, in doing so, makes a mockery of the so-called righteousness of individualism. Oh, and there's some good acting by young kids, no mean feat for any director. And it's got good New York Jewish gags that reminded me of 'My Favorite Year'. Bravo! Author, author!