John Belushi, who made his living playing characters on the edge, took a romantic, "normal" role in "Continental Divide". The experiment only partially succeeded, in one of Belushi's last films.
Ernie Souchak (Belushi) is a hard-hitting investigative reporter based in Chicago. His articles about gang activity make him the enemy of the local mob, who repeatedly try to rub him out. For his safety, Souchak is sent west to live with Dr. Nell Porter (Blair Brown), a naturalist who is studying bald eagles in the Rocky Mountains. The ancient "opposites attract" plot then takes over the movie, with the chain-smoking, beer-drinking Souchak falling for the natural, wholesome, and dedicated Porter. The two are waiting for a train that will take Souchak back to Chicago and suddenly decide to marry, promising to reunite once Souchak can join Porter out west.
Talented screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan has written quite a few trenchant, hard-hitting screenplays (e.g., "Body Heat" and "The Big Chill"), but here he opts for convention, repeatedly throwing softballs at the audience. Kasdan also didn't know how to end the film, choosing an inconclusive, unsatisfying story resolution featuring Souchak waving from the back of a train. Maybe a sequel was planned, I don't know.
Belushi and Brown have some chemistry but the movie never quite comes off, despite the charisma of the two stars. It's still interesting to see Belushi in a romantic, non-crazed role for a change, and he does pretty well in this standard romance. Sadly his career and life ended at age 33 the following year, so his potential was never really realized.
Ernie Souchak (Belushi) is a hard-hitting investigative reporter based in Chicago. His articles about gang activity make him the enemy of the local mob, who repeatedly try to rub him out. For his safety, Souchak is sent west to live with Dr. Nell Porter (Blair Brown), a naturalist who is studying bald eagles in the Rocky Mountains. The ancient "opposites attract" plot then takes over the movie, with the chain-smoking, beer-drinking Souchak falling for the natural, wholesome, and dedicated Porter. The two are waiting for a train that will take Souchak back to Chicago and suddenly decide to marry, promising to reunite once Souchak can join Porter out west.
Talented screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan has written quite a few trenchant, hard-hitting screenplays (e.g., "Body Heat" and "The Big Chill"), but here he opts for convention, repeatedly throwing softballs at the audience. Kasdan also didn't know how to end the film, choosing an inconclusive, unsatisfying story resolution featuring Souchak waving from the back of a train. Maybe a sequel was planned, I don't know.
Belushi and Brown have some chemistry but the movie never quite comes off, despite the charisma of the two stars. It's still interesting to see Belushi in a romantic, non-crazed role for a change, and he does pretty well in this standard romance. Sadly his career and life ended at age 33 the following year, so his potential was never really realized.