Right of Way (1983 TV Movie) User Reviews

Teddy And Mini

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 23 August 2011]

I disagree with the writer who says that another female lead should have been gotten for this film. As this was a project specifically tailored for James Stewart and Bette Davis, replacing either would be out of the question. It would be like getting someone else for either John Wayne or Katharine Hepburn for Rooster Cogburn.

Right Of Way stars the two big screen legends as an elderly couple, Teddy and Mini Dwyer. They're in their eighties now and in real life Stewart and Davis were not too far away from it. Bette has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and Jimmy cannot conceive of life without her. They resolve on a joint suicide, but their big mistake was to tell their only daughter Melinda Dillon about it. She can't conceive of life without them.

The writers loaded the deck somewhat for this film as Dillon is a newly minted forty something unmarried daughter with a small business and no attachments in her life. Had she been married with a family of her own or even with a significant other in her life she might have had different feelings on the subject or not been as vehement as she initially is in trying to stop her parents from carrying out their mission. With grandchildren, Stewart and Davis might have felt a bit differently as well.

In any event when Dillon hears of this she informs social service agencies and when the wheels of government are set in motion they are difficult to stop. Even after Dillon has second thoughts.

Of course the opportunity to see Stewart and Davis together should not be missed. The old legends do play well off each other. Melinda Dillon does not come in for her share of praise usually because viewers are dazzled by the star power of its legendary leads. But she has a difficult part and does it well.

For myself it's a personal bias, but I could never think of deliberately checking out without seeing that Socks the Cat is provided for in some way. These two have an army of felines that no provision is made for. But other than that, try to catch Right Of Way if broadcast.

Pact of death

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 25 October 2018]

The main draw of 'Right of Way' is the two stars, wonderful actors in James Stewart and Bette Davis both responsible for some of the all-time great screen performances (namely George Bailey in 'It's A Wonderful Life' and Margo Channing in 'All About Eve') in many very good and more films. Another big draw is the subject 'Right of Way' explores, it's a brave subject and an important and relevant one.

'Right of Way' is interesting, thoughtful and has emotional impact, but doesn't see the best of either Stewart or Davis while not wasting them. The same applies for the subject of suicide pacts and euthanasia, handled intriguingly enough and hardly trivialised but could have been explored more and in a way more tactfully in places.

It is agreed that 'Right of Way' does suffer from lack of realism in parts, namely again agreed the actions of the daughter Ruda after being told of the couple's plan. The supporting characters are one-dimensional, patchily acted and written with little subtlety or plausibility, the social worker being the worst offender. A shame because it is such a relevant, important and real situation, but those misjudgements cheapened the impact somewhat.

Didn't buy the ending either, there was a sense that the writers and producers didn't know how to end so instead tacked one on. Momentum sags towards the end.

However, Davis and Stewart are excellent, they are the reason to see 'Right of Way', with a preference for the more restrained Stewart (at his most restrained ever perhaps). Davis is quite moving though and commands the screen whenever she appears, and if it is true that Davis was difficult to work with and she and Stewart spent little time together off screen their chemistry on screen didn't come over as distant. Melinda Dillon has a hard role to pull off, and she does pull it off, despite some of her actions she was not an unsympathetic character and she was not hard to relate to.

Beautifully filmed 'Right of Way' is too, while the script is thought-provoking and just about avoids over-sentimentality with touches of understated drollness and some very tender and poignant moments. Particularly a scene between Mrs Dwyer and Ruda. The story does absorb and move, didn't feel that much indifference in the handling of the topic and when there was realism it was sensitive and has one reaching for the tissues.

Summing up, interesting and moving but deals with a topic/subject that it could have gone into depth more. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A plot guaranteed to make many folks uncomfortable!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 5 January 2016]

The topic of the right to die is an important topic and one that should be discussed openly and in an adult manner. I am happy that this film was made as it brings the topic out in the open. But I also wish the film had been made better--especially since two great elderly actors were in the leads, Jimmy Stewart and Bette Davis.

The film begins with Mr. And Mrs. Dwyer (Stewart and Davis) telling their daughter, Ruda (Melinda Dillon) that they planned on killing themselves. Mrs. Dwyer is seriously ill and when she dies, her husband simply doesn't want to go on without her and they have a joint suicide pact. I have no idea WHY they told the daughter...and assume many elderly folks DON'T tell others and simply do the deed without alerting anyone. Because they told their daughter, she involves some one-dimensional idiots from the county to get involved. This is a HUGE problem with the film, as the social worker was written very poorly as was the guy who just broke into their home (illegally, by the way). This tended to hurt the impact of the film as it took a realistic situation and made it less realistic. Additionally, with their decision coming out just after the film begins, it doesn't create a sense of tension or realism there as well and it makes the film drag a bit towards the end. What does work well are the conversation the mother and daughter have late in the film, as it seems much more realistic and thoughtfully written than much of the rest of the movie. Overall, it's an important topic but somewhat indifferently handled. It's worth seeing but should have been better.

By the way, I was surprised by Melinda Dillon in the film. She's a pretty lady but here they deliberately made her up to look older and less pretty. It fit the part and I understand why they did it...but wonder how Dillon felt about this.

Ahead of its time

[MrDeWinter · 10/10 · 2 September 2021]

Hard to find, especially with the 3 different endings. Davis delivers but Steward is an unlikely match. She needs a less soft counterpart. Melinda Dillon as the daughter was unbearable to watch. She is no Davis-daughter. As whole very watchable and ahead of its time. Whoever owns the rights should release a digitally remastered version with all the different endings. Wishful thinking, I know.

What about forgotten men?

[Josep Parareda · 10/10 · 6 September 2005]

Ruda is a single daughter near to reach forty that truly love her old parents. She has her own business making clay pots, as she did as a hobby when she was a child. Their parents asked her to visit them to make her know their determination to end their lives together because of an illness from the mother. Her father told that she has a blood disease whose strange name he feels unable to remember. The mother said she is allergic to her own blood. Ruda send people to their house to try to convince their parents reconsider their decision. Mr. Dwyer (Jimmy Stewart) has an original desk and his wife (Bette Davis) create lovely dolls. They feed lots of cats whose preferred ones are named Robert DeNiro, Paul Newman and Jimmy Cann... Sometimes some of the cats does an incursion into the next house neighbor woman whose children seem countless. One day a man must deliver them a package and ask Mr. Dwyer if he is Mister or Mistress Dwyer! The film has plenty of comical and tender moments. Once, Mr. Dwyer ask a man in the street about what means the sentence: "Que pasa con los hombres olvidados?" from Pablo Neruda, for who he feels a strong admiration.

I'm delighted to see working together two of the greatest stars ever in one of their last performances.

Two giants on the same screen for only one film.

[athomed · 8/10 · 13 October 2014]

"From here on in, it's either depend on these strangers or depend on me."

"We depend on no one, Ruda."

"But you have to, Daddy... eventually."

"Who says so?"

This interaction takes places in the final half hour of the film, as a more understanding daughter, Ruda (Melinda Dillon), implores her father, Teddy (James Stewart), to essentially pick his poison. Despite Ruda's best efforts, the aforementioned conversation serves only to cement his and terminally ill Mini's (Bette Davis) decision to end their lives when they say so. But more than that, it speaks to the deep-held beliefs of Teddy and Mini's generation: they only survived the Great Depression and won the Second World War (Stewart himself voluntarily served with distinguish in the Air Force during WW2).

Teddy and Mini Dwyer, a long married Santa Monica couple live together in a cluttered house with their multitude of cats, dolls and books. Their cats are named after the likes of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, James Caan, and Paul Newman. But, if you ask me, I think De Niro and Pacino should be the ones naming their cats after Stewart and Davis.

The film begins with Teddy and Mini calling their daughter down south for a visit. They lay the news on small business owner Ruda that Mini is dying - for real this time. Mini describes the terminal illness as her body being allergic to her own blood; Teddy doesn't dare try to pronounce the name of it. They explain their intention to kill themselves to their daughter. Ruda doesn't take the revelation well and informs the local county, who in turn release an army of bureaucrats on the beleaguered couple.

The life expectancy in America in 1908, when Stewart and Davis were born, was 51 years old. In 1983, the year this film was released, it was 74. People live longer, in the developed world at least. This gift comes with a set of difficulties. What happens when proud, independent people reach that age where they can't take care of themselves anymore? Compromises must be made. This film depicts the story of two people, Teddy and Mini, who won't make those compromises.

Mini won't be a piñata shuffled from doctor to doctor and pumped full of donor blood to extend her life. Teddy won't live alone (Stewart basically made the same decision in his own life ten years later when his wife died. He confined himself to his home and refused most medical attention. His last words were reported to have been "I'm going to be with Gloria {his wife} now." I find this anecdote makes the film even more powerful and believable).

They commit to ending their lives on their own terms, while they still can.

"On Golden Pond 2"

[Aussie Stud · 5/10 · 19 June 2001]

This made-for-TV movie was released hot on the heels of the success of "On Golden Pond" starring two well-respected film veterans, Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda.

This time, it is Bette Davis and Jimmy Stewart and the plot is about an aging couple who want the right to choose their own time of death. The subject of euthanasia has and always will be controversial. When this telemovie was released in the early 80's, the subject matter was very much ahead of its time.

Jimmy Stewarts' performance is rather restrained compared to Bette Davis who has always preferred the limelight when it comes to sharing top billing for a film. It was revealed in Jimmy Stewarts' biography that whilst filming this telemovie, times weren't always easy on the set. Bette Davis usually delayed filming of the project, spending hours in her trailer. When they shared scenes together, Bette Davis did not warm up to any scenes displaying shared physicality or emotion and therefore the outcome portrays her character as being rather hard and bitter.

When I watched the two legends share the screen together, I must admit that I was not convinced that this couple had shared a long life of hardship and love together. Their children try to intervene legally when Bette Davis' character wants to end her life after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. I realize this sounds like yet another plot from an episode of "The Practice" or "Family Law", but you have to realize that this was groundbreaking material for its time.

The outcome of the film is respectable, but unfortunately, I think another actress other than Bette Davis should have been chosen for this role. Kudos to Jimmy Stewart for trying.

5/10.

It's a nice try, but something is missing.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 15 August 2019]

Certainly, the star power of this made for cable (one of the first) is not one of them. I can't pinpoint it whether it is a lack of magic between Bette Davis and James Stewart in their only film appearance together or the fact that Davis is basically playing the same character played in half a dozen TV movies around the same time. even with a different hairstyle, or character reminds me of the same character she had strongly played with Gena Rowlands in "Strangers: the Story of a Mother and Daughter" just a few years before.

Like that film, she has a rather strange relationship with daughter Melinda Dillon, obviously closer to Papa Stewart then Mama Bette. She was invited down so they can tell her in person that because there was has a terminal illness, they are going to commit suicide together so they never have to be apart. This of course brings in city agencies, also answering neighbor's complaints about excessive cats and unkept front lawn and excessive trash indoors, causing a suit for conservative ship to be placed against them.

The themes that this movie deals with (right to privacy, possible senility due to old age, a desire for complete independence) creates conflicts that have many differences of opinions nearly 40 years later. my one issue is that in spite of her obvious advanced age, Davis never appears to look sick, and in fact has a light-hearted attitude towards the arguments against their plans, especially when city employee Priscilla Morrill visits. It's hard not to root for the two legends, but it brings up the question in my mind are we rooting for the characters or the actors playing them?

One note that I found amusing is the doll at the end that Davis made highly resembles Baby Jane Hudson.