Aside from an excellent and Oscar-nominated performance by Barbara Harris, this film is a long slog, a sort of stream of consciousness miasma with Dustin Hoffman playing a Bob Dylan type songwriter, one who's in every minute of the film and who also sings some incredible drivel written by Shel Silverstein ... not a winning combination.
Hoffman carries his "axe" with him so he can break out in some tuneless and banal song at the drop of a hat. He's in therapy with a strange doctor (Jack Warden) who seems to intrude into Hoffman's sleepless dreams as he recalls various moments from his life, mostly of women he's been involved with. Talk about a vanity production! Herb Gardner wrote this mess and Ulu Grosbard directed. Hoffman seems terribly miscast, Dylan thing aside. Harris is quite wonderful as a lost soul. There is also good work in smaller parts by Rose Gregorio as the ex-wife, David Burns and Betty Walker as the parents, Dom DeLuise as the accountant, Regina Baff as the first love, and Gabriel Dell (yes, the old Dead End kid) as the writing partner. The main problem is Hoffman's protagonist: he's totally unappealing in every way.
Pretentious beyond belief, and the ending is quite unsettling (and I don't mean the no-surprise reveal).
Hoffman carries his "axe" with him so he can break out in some tuneless and banal song at the drop of a hat. He's in therapy with a strange doctor (Jack Warden) who seems to intrude into Hoffman's sleepless dreams as he recalls various moments from his life, mostly of women he's been involved with. Talk about a vanity production! Herb Gardner wrote this mess and Ulu Grosbard directed. Hoffman seems terribly miscast, Dylan thing aside. Harris is quite wonderful as a lost soul. There is also good work in smaller parts by Rose Gregorio as the ex-wife, David Burns and Betty Walker as the parents, Dom DeLuise as the accountant, Regina Baff as the first love, and Gabriel Dell (yes, the old Dead End kid) as the writing partner. The main problem is Hoffman's protagonist: he's totally unappealing in every way.
Pretentious beyond belief, and the ending is quite unsettling (and I don't mean the no-surprise reveal).