Starring Judd Hirsch, Christine Lahti, River Phoenix, and Martha Plimpton.
Directed by Sidney Lumet.
Long ago, I first saw portions of this movie. The lunch scene comes to mind. Then later as an adult I saw it all the way through. Last night it was on TCM, so I sat down to watch. Let's get into it.
The premise: Arthur (Hirsch) and Annie (Lahti) are activists who bombed a lab at MIT in 1971 because it was the site where napalm was developed. The bomb was set to go off at night when no one was supposed to be there, but a janitor was, leaving him blind and paralyzed. Ever since, Arthur and Annie have been underground, aided by the network as they move from town to town, keeping ahead of the Feds, and having little or no contact with friends and family they left behind. At the time of the bombing and their going underground, they had a two-year-old son, Danny (Phoenix). Later they had a second son, Harry. After a close call with the Feds in their last town, the family closes up shop and moves base camp to Waterford, NJ. During a stop at a motel before arriving at their new place, appearances are changed as hair is colored and restyled. As everyone gets settled in their new house, the parents drill the boys on new names and places of birth.
The central character is Danny and River is excellent in the role. It is clear he was going to move on to bigger and better roles as time went on and his death is tragic, though not unexpected. Drug use is drug use. His scenes with Lorna (Martha Plimpton) are very well done and the two are well matched.
Judd and Christine do great work as the parents. Each one does both big and small things to show they are running out of steam. For instance, the Arthur character learns his mother has died of cancer. He heads on back to the van the network has passed on to him and he sits down, hidden except for his legs out the open door as he has a moment. It is a great shot by Lumet. Christine has of course the lunch scene with her father played by Steven Hill as they finally reach some kind of understanding now that Christine's character is going to have to live with the pain Hill's has for the last fifteen years: the loss of a beloved child.
I really liked the birthday party. Arthur isn't sure what to make of the girlfriend Lorna. She asks a question that requires a quick lie. But the tension breaks as a song is played. Lorna proves herself in Arthur's eyes as she helps him carry the dishes into the kitchen. First she starts singing along with the music and they start grooving and dancing together.
There is also the scenes where Gus (L. M. Kit Carson) shows up. Gus is someone from the old days who brings some kind of order from the network that Arthur and Annie are to participate in a bank robbery in return for all the help they've been given over the years. Gus is a creepy presence in the house who is trying to enlist their aid while at the same time score with Annie. When she refuses his advances, he accuses her of living like a suburban mom before he takes off. All-around creepy guy and great acting.
Sidney Lumet's work on this movie is nothing experimental or anything. It is simply a well told story about a family dealing with its past so that its future can move forward.
Highly recommended.
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