This is a great movie.
Why does Mary Steenburgen speak so slowly and artificially in it? Is the character on drugs, or is it just bad acting? Did she suffer from stuttering, and spoke slowly to overcome it?
I did think something was wrong with her in this movie as well as I have seen her in other things.
She could have done better, However, keep in mind that this was her second movie, and was still young and inexperiened with acting.
I have seen a lot of movies lately with teenaged actors that suck, but a few movies down the road they got better. Just like she did.
totally agreed - i always found her speech [in this film esp.] stilted and awkward, and wondered why the director allowed it, or worse, directed her to speak like that.....
STEENBURGEN is from small-town Arkansas - perhaps she was still struggling with her drawl?!
out of the blue, love came rushing in (no more pain)
Hi, I respectfully disagree...I've watched this movie many times and have always wondered why Steenburgen's speech was so slow...I think it was a concious choice on her part, as the character was supposed to be someone who was not the brightest person....the scene where Wells asks "where are your books?" and she replies "I don't have that many..." I always felt she was dumbing down her voice to match that type of person. If you look at it from that angle, it's a terrific performance. If you ask why would someone of Wells' stature (a high-toned intellectual) would fall for someone not as educated or sophisticated, I think that she was a modern woman, and her experince made her Wells' equal. She was for all the things Wells stood for (remember the lines about "free love" and "Women's lib"?) Steenburgen is a very intelligent actress, and I can see her doing a slow speech pattern and dropping her g's at the end of word ( one line she delivers is "You gotta be kiddin me") on purpose. I think that's what she's doing and it's a fascinating performance, something that - dare I say it - Streep would attempt. I ADORE this movie, as you can tell. Check out Mary in Sunshine State and wait for the scene where she is at the microphone and the camera stays on her for ages...watch what she does with her facial movements...amazing!
shareI didn't think she came off as being not bright at all. I thought her character was very perceptive. (Think of the way she picked up on HG's character when they were dining in the restaurant. She saw right through him.)
I thought she was supposed to be playing a smart woman who was, in some ways, limited by her era. (As was Wells, indicated by the way he held the phone four inches from his ear ~ this didn't make him a moron, however.) Yet, she was intelligent. She remembered learning about free love in the 8th grade. She picked up on a lot of cues and seemed to think on her feet in the movie. I thought the fact that she was a modern woman made her a perfect match for Wells, but there were other things, too. (Like the way they both kept their eyes open when they kissed. There were so many things like that in the movie.)
I've met a lot of dumb people who have read a plethora of books. I've also met brilliant people who don't read much at all.
I don't think you are at all amiss in comparing her to Streep because she really pulled it off. Her character's accent was wonderfully consistent. And, her character really sparkled ~ Steenburgen brought SO much into the role! I'm especially impressed to know that she did so much with one of her very first films. But again, I think the accent was just that, an accent to show a contrast in speech and in era. I don't think her character was supposed to be unintelligent.
This movie is a little hokey in places, but I really do like it! The romance is so well drawn and the acting is very good. I think it's just a really good story. The chemistry between Steenburgen and McDowell is rare and well portrayed.
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"Some mornings it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps."
The chemistry was real as they were falling in love during filming. That obviously IMO raised their performances a notch. I fell in love with her too when the film first came out, she was sweet and smart.
shareThat's interesting to know. Thanks!
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"Some mornings it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps."
What, me falling in love with her or Malcolm doing it? (<:
They married by the way but it didn't last, the last I heard she was married or partnered with Ted Danson I believe, but who knows what the current status is in LaLaland!
Hi Janis, What does your name mean by the way...
Hmmm I see what you mean, and I wasn't trying to be elitist or snarky in any way, but I just watched this again last night and I am still in awe of this performance. You are right when you say she is his equal in a different way. But I do think the comments about not having any books was to intentionally show the character being of a different world....Wells was in the world of the intellect which was everything to him...Amy was his equal because of the level of society she lived in, not because of his literary education. Yes, lots of dumb people read books. But I think they were trying to make a character point.
She was supposed to be intelligent - she was a female executive staff member wasn't she? In 1979, that was still unusual, kind of, and the movie makes that point too, but it was a different kind of smart.
Remember the line when she says "I love you" after Wells gives his speech? That was kind of like an equalizing ...she got it, everything, and he did too.
They find each other.
Thanks for the thoughts, too. I am glad someone else "gets" it...
My God, this was one of her first films...a firestorm out of the box, and she was falling in love with MacDowell too so that also influenced her performance.
Watch her in Sunshine State. I am going to get a copy of Goin' South too just to see her in her first film.
But has she done anything else lately that is this good?
I just saw Parenthood last night again, and it was a good - not great - movie and she was just fine in it.
But WOW, she IS the equivalent of Streep in this.
Hi Mike. Brilliant post. And I don't mean that lightly. I love Mary. I also love Malcolm. Because of this film. I was 16 years old in 1980 when I saw it on cable and became obsessed with it. My love for it has remained over the years. I met Mary in 1983 when she came to Atlanta to promote Romantic Comedy. I have followed both of these wonderful actors for 30 years. I also got to meet Nick Meyer, one of my heroes as an aspiring screenwriter, in 2003.
You asked if Mary had done anything else worth seeing. I would like to recommend the short-lived (2 seasons) CBS series Joan of Arcadia, co-starring Joe Mantegna. This show has changed my life in a lot of ways. Mary was remarkable in it. Everyone was.
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Let me tell you a little story. You're an idiot!
Agreed, and wonderful response. I love Steenburgen's portrayal here and think she's fantastic and nuanced, and brings a modernity and vulnerability to her role that is really touching and that ultimately anchors the entire movie.
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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.
She sometimes sounds like shes from new york or long island, yet shes in SF. Yeah, whatever, she sucks.
shareCome on! Were there any young, single women living in SF in the 70s who didn't do at least a little pot?
shareLOL, I laughed when her character tells Malcolm that she's taken some valium to deal with her possible impending death. She acted like she was on valium throughout the entire film! MS is otherwise fine in her other films, most recently in The Brave One.
shareI thought she was straight on in this movie.
Her acting felt so natural and you can see the real love between her and Malcolm.
In my opinion, during their scenes together I thought she was acting "drunk with love".
You know, the kind of swoony feeling you get when you're with the one you are crazy about?
That's what I got from her performance.
-Amanda
"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"
This. Lovely post.
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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.
I think she's great in this movie, and raising the children she had with McDowell probably kept her from making many more films after she won her Oscar a year later.
Her speech pattern is amusing. Technically, it focuses attention on her, as she's not speaking in a traditional way. But I think she's very natural and funny. Adorable, in fact!
Both the director/writer and her costar raved about her...so I don't think there were too many complaints : )
This movie actually introduced me to Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, AND Mary Steenbergen. It's hard for me to think of any of them without thinking of this film.
I recall reading about the film before seeing it, and I knew there was to be some romance in it. But when I first saw the character of Amy Robbins, I thought, "You've GOT to be kidding. NOT her???" There was something off-kilter and flaky about her... at least, that was my first impression. Then the story goes on and you get to know more about her... by the end of the film, I'd found I'd really gotten to like her. I imagine that how Herbert felt. She was a continual surprise and delight.
I think it might be as a way to point out H.G.'s fish out of water situation. He's in a totally unfamiliar environment where things that weren't discussed in mixed company are openly discussed (i.e. pepto bismol ad) so she stands as an anchor point to him. Almost like a mothering influence opposite his 'little boy lost' routine.
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