Wendy-17 Reviews

The Big Easy (1986)

Steamy romance and an interesting thriller...

[9/10 · 31 August 2002]

I've seen various comments from those who say "The Big Easy" is one huge stereotype and/or unrealistic. Well, sure, the stereotypes exist here, but I feel that the directing of Jim McBride and excellent acting and chemistry of Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin rose above it.

As for its being unrealistic...so is almost every movie ever made!

Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin had phenomenal chemistry as Remy McSwain and Anne Osborne. Their first love scene was, by turns, steamy, tender, and touched with a sense of not taking itself too, too seriously as some love scenes tend to do. Out of the bedroom, they prove to be just as interesting as in (Remy's "gray" concept of right and wrong definitely adds to such interest, as does his "crisis of conscience" later on), and that is truly, IMHO, a rare feat for a lot of such films.

Add in a great supporting cast (Ned Beatty's crooked, yet fatherly Jack Kellom, John Goodman's dirty cop André, Grace Zabriskie as Mrs. McSwain, Lisa Jane Persky as Det. McCabe, and many more) that actually lends more depth to what could have been a cut-and-dried shoot 'em up flick (mixed with some bed scenes for variety), as well as characters/actors who actually play off of each other well, and the film is very entertaining.

Sure, the whole "gumbo, let's party, Cajun fest" thing can be a bit much, but I still found this film a whole bunch better than a lot of films made in the same or similar vein. It also still seems remarkably fresh today, 15 years later (even if typing police reports via a typewriter now seems a bit passé).

In other words and in short, I am glad to own this on DVD and have it in my library.

Santa Barbara (1984–1993)

Simply A Quality Show

[10/10 · 11 April 1999]

Though it has been off the air for six years now, I'll always remember "Santa Barbara" as a terrifically written and superbly acted show. From Nancy Grahn (Julia Wainwright Capwell) and Lane Davies (Mason Capwell) to A Martinez (Cruz Castillo) and Marcy Walker (Eden Capwell Castillo), along with many more talented actors, "Santa Barbara" was a show that took risks and infused humor with drama seamlessly, giving it three well-deserved Emmy Awards for Best Daytime Drama from 1988-1990, with some cast members also taking home awards. I feel that NBC Daytime made a big mistake in cancelling the show. But perhaps it was ahead of its time, as most of the dialogue far outshone any on the currently aired soaps. It is a series I will always be fond of and miss.

Fools Rush In (1997)

Sweet Movie

[10/10 · 1 December 1998]

I saw "Fools Rush In" over the past weekend, and while many had their misgivings with the film, I am not one of them. I will admit to being a viewer of "Friends" and therefore, because of so identifying Perry with the great Chandler Bing, did not expect too much from Matthew Perry in another role. However, I was surprised by his charm, as Alex Whitman, a WASP stuffed shirt, even when obscured by his ambitiousness and awkwardness. Salma Hayek, as Isabel Fuentes, was terrific, too, and did not seem to fall into the stereotypes that actors of other nationalities are sometimes subjected to. She was simply a Mexican American woman, complete with goals and ideals, like any person. Alex and Isabel are sweet, even through the poignant middle of the movie, when culture clashes and the threat of what haste can bring, becomes sometimes depressing. Okay, so it will never be "When Harry Met Sally" or any of the really successful romance films, but it was engaging. The chemistry of both Perry and Hayek had much to do with it.