mdm-11
An all-star cast delivers wonderful performances in this "overlooked treasure" of a comedy drama. The main story deals with a family's loss of their patriarch, who 20 years earlier was prepared to silently exit his family's life because he saw no hope for his marriage to a dominating wife. At the funeral a man enters the picture, insisting on speaking to the widow. He reveals the secret that during that fateful evening 20 years earlier, he had convinced the now deceased husband to save his marriage by "dancing with his wife". The man watched the couple from the street as they danced in their kitchen. He was hopelessly in love with the image of this woman who had just fallen in love again with her husband. Better late than never, he now percistantly builds a relationship and eventually marries the woman.There are many subplots to the story. One tells of the boy who feels the "presence" of his dead grandfather, and is certain that he is now invincible. This leads to several incidents where the boy tempts fate by putting his life in danger. His mother, herself dealing with the recent death of a younger child, escapes into a fantasy world by dressing up as Marilyn Monroe or "Mrs. Robinson". There is also a sub-plot discussing how elderly view their prospects of growing more dependent on others and eventually dying. The film's main setting is NYC 1969. There are several beautiful references to the time, i. e. the Moon landing and the Mets winning the World Series. -- You gotta watch this movie carefully in order not to miss a beat, but you will enjoy it. The final scene drives it home. 5 stars for this one!
jaykay-10
If this is not (intentionally or otherwise) a pilot for a TV series, what is it? Episodic, altogether lacking in unity and narrative flow, there is enough caricature and stereotyping to offend the sensibilities of most Jewish- and Italian-Americans. To understand the characters' motivations, a viewer must look beyond what is presented here - i.e., must imagine why these characters act as they do, since the explanations are not forthcoming in the film. If you were left wondering what is going to happen next to Pearl, her daughters, her grandson, her new husband and his family - all of their situations left open-ended - you were more absorbed in this claptrap than most viewers are likely to be.The performances are not at all bad, but then, one-dimensional characters don't present much of a challenge.
moonspinner55
Curiously cast, indifferently-made character-comedy never quite gets off the ground. There are some colorful and funny moments in "Used People", but it doesn't sparkle, it doesn't have any magic, it's just ordinary--and that's a shame. Shirley MacLaine is a widowed Jewish matriarch who falls in love again, much to the distress of her dysfunctional, now-grown children. I don't know about most viewers, but I had trouble accepting Kathy Bates as MacLaine's daughter (likewise Jessica Tandy as MacLaine's mother). It doesn't ring true, and the direction is askew and uneven throughout, yet there's a lot of sterling talent on display here and some of the dialogue is very funny. ** from ****
donmac72
The writer and director were not satisfied with a straight forward story, and stretched for effect a little too obviously. The subplots do not comfortably weave into the main story thread of the film. However, there are some very fine attempts to pull things together in telling scenes. I recommend Used People to viewers weary of car chases, ear splitting sound tracks and teen age angst. You won't regret spending some time with almost real people.
AD
