Genre:
Drama
Directed
by: Hector Babenco
Cast:
Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Carroll Baker
Time:
143 minutes
Francis Phelan used to be a great baseball
player with a good throwing hand. After accidently dropping his infant son,
killing him in the process, the guilt overtook him and he left his house and
family behind to live as a bum in the streets. Decades later, he is drinking
his life away, hanging out with his lover Helen Archer and his buddy Rudy.
Francis’ past comes back to haunt him, though, and he decides to pay his family
a visit, which will bring profound change within him.
Jack Nicholson offers a performance full of
restraint here. You would think that Jack playing a drunk would be a great
opportunity to go overboard, but there is no such thing in Ironweed. He really
manages to melt his larger-than-life persona into the character and make it
believable.
Meryl Streep is also great at inhabiting her
character. You forget that there is an actress at work and you care for the
character. That scene where she sings in the bar, with a mixture of reality and
fantasy, is wonderful.
Ironweed is a very compelling character
study. There is not much in terms of action, and it might feel long and dreary
to some, but it is well worth watching to see some great actors at work.
Rating:
««««
No comments:
Post a Comment