slightlymad22
I will start off this review by saying I like Al Pacino. Any movie with him in it's cast, is given a chance by me. Before he started to just shout his dialogue he was one of my favourite actors.Author! Author! Finds him doing a rare comedic turn Pacino plays a Broadway playwright with a cheating wife, and five loving children (only one of whom is his own.) who are devoted to him. Ivan who loses, loves, struggles, suffers and still never loses his sense of humour.Is this a role for Al Pacino, an actor not known for tickling audiences funny bones? It may have been better suited to a Robin Williams (who was doing Mork & Mindy on TV in those days) or a Burt Reynolds (who was at the top of his game in 1982) but he is by no means wrong for it. I appreciate it when actors try something new. Like when Reynolds made 'Starting Over' or Williams made 'Good Will Hunting'. And Pacino tries something new here, he is as watchable as always, but these are not two of his better hours. Of the rest of the cast Dyan Cannion is gorgeous and still an attractive lady, if only the rest of the cast were as appealing as the two leads. The kids were on the awful end of child actors scale, and everyone else just blends in to the background. As far as I know, this was the first and last time Pacino tried a full out comedy. Scarface was his next role.
thinker1691
There are many roles and different actors who play them. Some roles are suited for them others, not. In this Isreal Horovitz's story, Arthur Hiller directs Al Pacino as a Broadway playwright, a role he should have passed. Despite all his great talent, this superb thespian barely attained credibility as Ivan Travalian. Here is a man who by his own admission, was an orphan. There too but for his own efforts, go his many children. Ivan is trying desperately to finish his latest play, while struggling to hold on to his philandering wife Gloria (Tuesday Weld). Personal struggles find him doing his best to understand his troubles, while knowing that what he is doing is the right thing. If that were not enough, with his wife leaving him, Ivan finds Solis in his choice for a leading lady Alice Detroit (Dyan Cannon) a woman who wants him, but not his mix of a family. The story is comedic in rendering, but serious in its nature. With the likes of a true comedy team like Bob and Ray and the late great Alan King, it becomes fascinating to await its outcome. A good story with an over-weight talent like Pacino is like trying to shoot a squirrel with a cannon. ***
Elswet
Apparently, many movie-goers were unhappy with this production featuring Al Pacino as a father, step-father, and foster-father to 5 children, only two of which he sired. Most actors stretch their wings and experiment with different roles throughout their career. Johnny Depp has been a religious experimental actor, seeking his niche, trying on new (and widely versatile) characters until he earned his stardom with the Pirates of the Caribbean series.Here, Pacino has spread his wings and, some have said, fell flat on his face. I must disagree. He plays comedy/drama quite well. This work features some dynamic elements, which helped support his role, namely the beautiful performances by the (then) child actors.This is, by all accounts, a feel-good family movie, complete with fairy tale ending, but the path to that magical ending is strewn with pit-falls, stumbling blocks, and other problems. It is far from realistic, but does not break the contract wherein we, the audience, agree to suspend belief and attempt to subscribe to the premise.Although I can't say this is one of my favorites, I do enjoy this work, and have found that Pacino is quite aptly cast herein. This work does, however, explain by what template Eddie Murphy seemingly molded his failing career. As one can tell by the reviews, action star/comedian cum family man doesn't play well with the fan boys.It rates a 7.3/10 from...the Fiend :.
Rosemary (zelda1964)
I had seen this movie quite a few times, and thought that Al Pacino gave a great performance. Here we see a professional playwriter Ivan Travalian struggling with his career,and he gets hit with the news his wife wants to leave;She has some heavy load to carry,the children she cannot take a responsibility for. With juggling the duties of mother and father,Ivan has his anxiety about failure;He needs a great "rave" review to have a broadway hit.There are sensitive lines in the film that touch on Ivan's personality; I am moved to the same anger, when He tells ex-wife Gloria "we are not fish,we are people".Gloria seems to be self-centered and uncaring.Travalian also says to his biological son,Igor, "nobody wants them,Gloria doesn't want them". How can we not feel the pain in these hurting kids?
The movie was great and touched on the aspect of family and Love;Ivan has these kids of the world, and tries to make a home for them.I love this film and enjoyed it heartily.
AD
