NICKELODEON (1976)

There's a scene in Peter Bogdanovich's tribute to early film-making when Ryan O'Neal, a goofy lawyer turned goofy director, has no idea what movie he's in the process of making: no plot, no real characters... which is ironic since director Bogdanovich might have felt the same way while making NICKELODEON... Or perhaps not... if the man who gave us brilliant classics like TARGETS and especially THE LAST PICTURE SHOW combined silent comedy slapstick with a romantic triangle with true Hollywood history in such a clumsy, uninteresting fashion... and Burt Reynolds has absolutely no chemistry as novice actor to O'Neal's novice director...

Ultimately, Bogdanovich blamed the studio for this catastrophe that basically ended his A-list career; but it's the IDEA that's flawed beyond the horribly uneven execution, not knowing which path to take in celebrating the first Hollywood independents war on the big studios (and vice versa), that, unlike PAPER MOON, is a road to absolutely nowhere... An irony because if anyone were to do a historic Hollywood piece it would be the man who began as a critic and wound up an overnight auteur sensation, but, perhaps Bogdanovich was simply too close to the material... Simply put, in doing a parody of old movie style he didn't center enough on the making of old movies. Grade: D

STARTING OVER

title: STARTING OVER
year: 1979
cast: Burt Reynolds, Candace Bergen, Charles Durning
director: Alan J. Pakula
rating: *

James L. Brooks wrote the script and the guy who Hollywood (and many others) adored for "All the President's Men" directed. The pace is slow and the film is totally pointless. I have nothing more to say other than this movie's title is how you'll feel after the first fifteen minutes: like STARTING OVER with another movie... perhaps one about Watergate... or something. ANYTHING but this.

BEST FRIENDS

title: BEST FRIENDS

year: 1982

cast: Goldie Hawn, Burt Reynolds, Ron Silver

rating: **

This early eighties star-driven grown-up sex comedy was written by soon-to-be director Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin (who played the original "Vera", the dim-witted waitress in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"). As I sat watching cute Goldie and handsome Burt, I imagined if Barry and Valerie were up on that screen playing themselves, no one would care. Two mundane humans having relationship problems wouldn't even merit a city college stage play... at least not a good one. But you cast two gorgeous stars and thus, a film is made. "Best Friends" is not much of a love story, it's not much of a drama, and there's hardly any comedy... except for a funny moment during the wedding centering on the mispronunciation of a vow by the priest, played by Richard Libertini. Goldie and Burt visit her parents, then his parents... Burt hates her parents, Goldie hates his... reminding me of a movie that would come out many years later, the recent "Four Christmases". And either are that terrific.