The Harvey Girls

The Harvey Girls (1946, IMDB)

Hello, friends. After a long writing drought, I’m back. I thank you for your patience!

I return with a post about “The Harvey Girls” (1946), a cute musical starring Judy. (Do I even have to mention the “Garland” anymore? Doesn’t Judy deserve to be a one-name woman?) If you haven’t seen it, it’s pretty great. Judy plays Susan Bradley, a woman brought to the Wild West after she answered a personal ad. On her train ride to the frontier, she happens to be traveling with the Harvey Girls who are determined to establish a Harvey House to bring some class and fine dining to those backwards cowboys. Judy arrives, sings “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” then comes to find that the writer of her personal ad is ugly, old, and has a thing for Marjorie Main (who, by the way, is her spectacular self in this film). Judy decides to become a Harvey Girl rather than a wife. Shenanigans ensue, which include a cat fight with the scarlet women of the saloon across the way. Angela Lansbury is fantastically malicious as the leader of these worldly wise women, playing off Judy’s doe-eyed innocence. As it always seems to happen, Angela and Judy are interested in the same man (John Hodiak). I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I bet you can guess who wins.

Let me stop here to call out Ray Bolger, one of Hollywood’s most underrated dancers. He does a number in this movie that knocks me out every time. He’s in true Scarecrow form, doing dance moves that make you swear his legs don’t have any bones. He’s an actor who goes all in, using his whole body and face, contorting himself for the laugh – and I love it.

But, to the meat of this post: you know how you can have a great movie that is spoiled by one miscast role? (Ashley Wilkes in “Gone with the Wind” anyone?) Well, John Hodiak does that in this musical. Someone needs to explain to me why anyone would cast him in anything, especially as a leading man. He’s dull, expressionless, and definitely not handsome enough to warrant this casting mistake. I’ll never understand it, and it’s definitely a pet peeve of mine. What about you? Do you have any movies that are kept from greatness because of one miscast actor or actress?

P.S. I think Judy is at her most beautiful in this film. Carry on.

“Silver Linings Playbook”

“Silver Linings Playbook” is the most optimistic movie I’ve seen in a long time.

Pat, played by an excellent Bradley Cooper, is determined to beat the bipolar disorder that helped the disintegration of his marriage and led to his stay in a mental facility. Rather than relying on an array of medication, Pat focuses on living a positive life, finding a silver lining in every situation.

Along the way, he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who understands his plight and helps him navigate through the trying times he faces.

In the end, they dance.

The movie is hilarious. The scene in which Pat chastises Ernest Hemingway has to be my favorite and will resonate with anyone who has read “A Farewell to Arms.” Self-deprecating humor about being crazy pepper Pat and Tiffany’s conversations. Such comments seem to be a part of both characters’ healing processes.

Robert DeNiro is a master. Playing Pat Sr., DeNiro captures all of the emotions that fly through the brain of a father trying to deal with such a son. All at once, his eyes convey empathy, fear, compassion and frustration. His affinity for the Philadelphia Eagles and OCD tendencies on game day make his character endearing. A fight between the two Pats is the most emotional in the film and played well by both actors.

Cooper is wonderful as a lovesick cock-eyed optimist. He underplays the “crazy,” which elevates the movie from a soapy drama to a film focused on the difficulties of the human condition. One scene in particular tugged at my heartstrings: all Cooper does is look at Jennifer Lawrence. He looks at her in a way that is packed with something. I don’t even know what to call it, but I nearly melted in my chair – and that had nothing to do with his piercing blue-gray eyes.

Lawrence was great – hilarious and truthful, exactly what the character called for.

Jacki Weaver stole the show. As Pat’s mother, Dolores, she was frazzled, exhausted, afraid and hopeful. She was perfect, so convincing and real. She should win the Oscar.

Also, Chris Tucker makes an entertaining appearance as Pat’s friend Danny who is repeatedly leaving the mental facility.

The movie was a little gritty, like its Philly setting, but also warm and energetic. It never got overly dramatic or ridiculously silly.

5.0 for sure.

Anna Karenina

I saw “Anna Karenina” last night, and it’s taken me nearly 24 hours to wrap my mind around this unique film.

I had read the Tolstoy novel two years ago, and I will not lie to you, I had difficulty getting through it. The multitude of Russian names and excessive snow were obstacles, but the story is as juicy as a soap opera. The new film did a nice job of condensing the tale into 129 minutes. Some of those minutes seemed longer than others.

The whole film took place on a stage, which was a stroke of genius. That coupled with the dance-like movements of the characters symbolized the performance that was Russian society. Always watched, scrutinized and judged, Russian aristocrats like Anna and her husband lived lives that were choreographed by generations before them. Karenin’s adherence to this choreography was at great odds with Anna’s free spirit.

Kiera Knightley was a fine Anna. She’s beautiful, though at times she looked remarkably skinny, which was very distracting to my friend and me as we watched. Jude Law did a nice job as her stoic, strict husband, though no amount of makeup will ever make me believe anyone would cheat on him. Aaron Taylor-Johnson was an excellent Count Vronsky. He was flirtatious, handsome and just naive enough to be ignorant of the social implications of his relationship with Anna.

Matthew Macfadyen stole the show. As Anna’s brother Oblonsky, he provided unsuspected comic relief thanks to his handlebar mustache and absurd facial expressions. My favorite scene of the film involved Oblonsky at work, dancing in and out of varying jackets depending on who he was speaking with and where he was going.

My favorite storyline is the romance between Levin and Kitty, which was played out nicely on screen. Domhnall Gleeson (aka Bill Weasley) and Alicia Vikander were endearing, adorable and in love.

The sets, costumes and music were sumptuous, decadent even. The stage would slowly melt away into fields of snow, ballrooms or horse tracks, only to melt right back to remind the audience of the performance.

I enjoyed the film, but I can’t say it was one I would see again. I wonder if the “epicness” of the storytelling is too much for me to try and relive again. I’ve seen all the tricks and know they’re coming, not very effective the second time around.