Director Susan Seidelman's tale (script from Barry Strugatz and Mark R. Burns) of a woman scorned and her sweet revenge on the man who betrays her is nothing more than a flat fairytale with a cast full of unlikeable characters.
It is nearly impossible to sympathise with heroine Roseann Barr, whose jaded housewife is so bitter and vengeful it's frightening. Yes Ed Begley's cheatin' husband is a complete tosser, but considering every player is no more palatable than sour lemons, he really ain't that bad. Barr and Begley fail to inspire, and Streep never quite hits the mark in her first big venture into comedy. The one exception to the rule is the ever enjoyable Linda Hunt, who shines as a nursing home matron from the old school who comes out of her shell after meeting Ruth Patchett (Barr).
Frankly I don't enjoy watching nasty people doing awful things to one another. The poor plot certainly does not help.
Sunday, October 19, 1997 - Video
It is nearly impossible to sympathise with heroine Roseann Barr, whose jaded housewife is so bitter and vengeful it's frightening. Yes Ed Begley's cheatin' husband is a complete tosser, but considering every player is no more palatable than sour lemons, he really ain't that bad. Barr and Begley fail to inspire, and Streep never quite hits the mark in her first big venture into comedy. The one exception to the rule is the ever enjoyable Linda Hunt, who shines as a nursing home matron from the old school who comes out of her shell after meeting Ruth Patchett (Barr).
Frankly I don't enjoy watching nasty people doing awful things to one another. The poor plot certainly does not help.
Sunday, October 19, 1997 - Video