When Carl Reiner passed away last week at the age of 98, most of the articles about him understandably focused on his influence on the history of television. His film work -- as an actor and director -- has been mentioned, but not with the detail of TV. Yet he directed some truly wonderful films, most notably Oh, God! and All of Me. And if All of Me existed only for the dance over the end credits, terrific as the movie is, that would have been enough for me. I think the dance is one of the more joyous scenes I've watched in a movie. If you haven't ever seen the movie or if you've forgotten the specifics of what gets us to the scene, here's a brief recap. Lily Tomlin plays a very wealthy invalid. She's made a deal to put her spirit in the body of a young, health, beautiful woman, played by Victoria Tennant. Through a mix-up, her spirit gets put by mistake into Steve Martin -- who gives one of the great comic performances of two people (one a woman) in one body. I rarely say someone "should have got a nomination but was overlooked," since it means someone else would have to be dropped off the list. But comedy does get overlooked, and this was a virtuoso performance. If I had to drop a nominee off from that 1985 list, I'd select Jeff Bridges in Starman. A very nice job, but this was masterful. But I digress. Anyway, we only see Tomlin when Martin passes by by mirrors, but they talk and argue throughout the movie. And eventually fall in love. And in the last scene, Martin dances with Victoria Tennant which leads to probably the best camera move in Carl Reiner's directing career. It's glorious. (I'll only add that I have always loved the actor Richard Libertini from Second City, and here he plays the swami, who you'll see at the table.) And now, on to The Dance. What a way to go out...
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
Categories
All
|
© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2024
|