Customer Reviews

Accidental Tourist [VHS]

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST has some of the most interesting dialogue ever heard in a film about relationships. The story begins when Macon Leary, a travel writer played by William Hurt, comes home to find his wife, Sarah, (played by Kathleen Turner) wants a divorce. This marriage has endured almost unbearable strain after the death of their only son, and Macon's coping strategy is to strive to keep things as they are. When Macon's welsh corgi becomes bad-tempered and starts to bite, Macon can't stand the thought of parting with the dog that was his son's childhood companion. Macon is forced to rely on others when he breaks his leg and moves in with his sister and brothers, and the movie really picks up momentum when he meets a sparkling divorcee dog trainer named Muriel Pritchett (played by Geena Davis). Muriel has her eyes on Macon Leary from the first moment she sees him, when she begins a long campaign to win this world-weary man over and bring joy back into his life. When Sarah finds out that Macon is seeing another woman, she has a change of heart about finalizing the divorce, and seeks a reconciliation. Macon's choice then becomes one of maintaining the status quo or navigating his way through uncertain yet exciting territories with someone new.

Both the acting and the dialogue in THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST are first-rate and highly memorable. Geena Davis steals the show with her shining performance of a quirky, life-positive divorced single mom with a single-minded interest in helping Macon Leary to become more than a reluctant sight-seer in life. My favorite line of dialogue in this dialogue-driven film is when Macon says to Sarah, "I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not just how much you love someone, maybe what matters is who you are when you're with them." I've contemplated this concept for years, and been continually inspired by it's significance.

While this film may be considered slow-moving and somewhat sad, it ultimately delivers an uplifting and inspirational message of hope.

While it has been criticized for it's slow, quiet pace, this is one of the most bold and heroic stories ever put on film.

Years ago I was swept away by Anne Tyler's novel, and was hesitant to see the movie (knowing movie adaptations of novels almost always disappoint.) I found myself instead swept away in new and different ways by the movie, which is incredibly true to the narrative of the novel.

What Macon Leary is going through would not be described as depression as much as recession...pulling away from his life, falling deeper into himself where it is small and quiet and safe, far away from the world that had murdered his son. This drives his wife away from him, leaving him to spiral more deeply into himself until the unexpected hand of a quirky dog trainer pulls him up and out of himself. When Macon reunites with his estranged wife he begins to tumble back in on himself until he discovers that it's not only how much you love somebody, but who you are when you're with that person that matters the most.

William Hurt's narration over various scenes in this film ad a layer to it that could never have been achieved in the novel.

This film is a must see for any student of the human condition.

"The Accidental Tourist" Hmmm... even the title of the film has many meanings. Unhappily married couple, Macon Leary,(William Hurt)a travel guide author and Sarah Leary (Kathleen Turner) have just lost their young son Ethan to an accident. Each of them goes through the grief process alone and thus, the marriage is quite dead. They separate, with Sarah leaving Macon in the big, old empty Victorian house alone, save for Ethan's badly behaved dog, a Welsh corgie named Edward. When Edward misbehaves, Macon just can't get rid of the dog because it reminds him of the good times that Ethan had with Edward. So, Macon takes the dog to obedience school and meets a very ecentric young woman named Muriel Pritchett. Muriel is a young divorcee with a very sickly little boy, named Alexander (Robert Hy Gorman in a very nice portrayal for a little guy). Muriel pursues Macon, a sexual relationship ensues and Macon opens up for the first time about his sorrow for Ethan. There comes a time when macon has to decide what he wants as Sarah returns to the homeplace and wants to try again.

Amy Wright, David Ogden Stiers, and Ed Begley Jr. all turn in WONDERFUL performances as Macon's odd siblings who live together in the family home that they grew up in. Bill Pullman also turns in a great performance as Julian, Macon's publisher.

This is a wonderful character study of families, their hurt, disappointment and finally, reconciliation. The film is strongly written and well acted. If you are looking for a funny romance like, "When Harry Met Sally", a spooky romance like "Ghost" or a treacly, sappy sweet romance like "Sabrina", then you are looking in the wrong place. If you like to see characters that pluck at your heart strings and seem "oh so real" then this is a movie for YOU! Highly recommended!

Happy Watching!

He's obviously a moron who must have watched the film half drunk. For proof of this, he states in his review that the main character, Macon -played by William Hurt- buys his dog, Edward, after his son's death and his divorce for companionship. If you watch the movie sober and with at least one eye open, it clearly shows that the dog belonged to his son and that's why Macon doesn't want to get rid of it even after it bites him, because Edward, the dog, is the last connection he has to his son. So don't let an unprofessional hack like Marshall Fine or other reviewers with questionable taste steer you away from this wonderful film. It delivers the perfect balance of comedy, drama, and romance with an amazing musical score by John Williams.

William Hurt + an allstar cast star in this character study of an overly methodical divorcee and his profession on who traveling buisness men can make their trips as dull as his life is.Seen the movie?You'll understand my review then because I'll speak directly about the characters.Macon (Hurt) and his astranged wife Sarah have lost their only son to a horrible murder and have grown apart.His siblings live in a house together and live a comically over-organized life.Meanwhile Macon is pursued by his BEYOND pushy dog trainer Murial Prichett and is forced to make a serious choice-between his ex with whom his relationship is always tenative or the fresh faced (but I should point out obviously younger) Murial.He chooses the later,if only for the reason she followed him on a trip to Paris (where they end up eating at a Buger King.????).
And as pushy and quirky as she is one actually tends to relate more to Geena Davis's Murial character.Macon Leary comes off as too controlled and insensative and his wife has lost faith in the world due to her loss.The side characters include Macon's
hyper organised sister Rose and her relationship with his eccentric boss Julian (portrayed by Bil Pullman) who proceeds to eat two helpings of Rose's highly undercooked turkey at Thanksgiving.More a slightly ubsurdist character study then a comedy,seeing as nothing really romantic happens and the leading man is actually an (intentionally) pathetic individual
'The Accidental Tourist' stands out heads and tales above todays faceless comedies bogged down with mindless teen flicks and vapid 'chick flicks'.This movie had some intelligence and wittyness to it and with the exception of the wonderful movie 'Amelie' very little is being done in this vein nowadays.

The "editorial review" for this wonderful character study was written by Marshall Fine, a Sioux Falls, SD newspaper critic who hates everything. Pay him no mind. In film and theatre critique one draws more readers with vinegar than honey. But enough on that. Even though Accidental Tourist has no car crashes and no blood and no grimacing Rambo screaming as he wins the VietNam War singlehandedly, it is not merely a chick flick. It has pathos, it has rich characters, vividly drawn; it has sad drama and many tender laughs (Gena Davis singing, "I'm Gonna Bop Bop Santa Claus" for example). Macon Leary is a subdued, somewhat anal-retentive travel guide writer whose son was murdered in a fast food restaurant robbery. The tragedy destroyed his wife and ultimately his marriage. Now he must learn to travel through a world not of his own making - an Accidental Tourist. When we meet his quirky family we see he is not the dimmest candle on the cake by any means. Yet an oddly wonderful woman refuses to let him live his life as a ghost. Like all good stories of people, Macon grows, learns and changes. Those who have seen William Hurt in other films will KNOW the downplayed, lethargic portrayal is INTENDED and those who have met such empty souls will see that this portrayal is AUTHENTIC. A brilliant tale, skillfully wrought.

William Hurt is absolutely brilliant as a man so damaged and insulated from his own life that he is about to implode in Lawrence Kasdan's adaptation of Anne Tyler's novel, perhaps the director's finest moment.

Hurt is a father who cannot make sense of the random act of violence in which his son has been killed. In so much pain he is unable to comfort his equally traumatized wife, his marriage finally falls apart because he has decided to accept evil in the world and isolate himself from love in an effort to shield himself from further pain.

Bill Pullman gives fine support as his understanding editor and friend. Hurt writes a series of books for the business person who is constantly in flight called the "Accidental Tourist." Hurt's family is a little strange and in spite of the serious subject matter Kasdan has sprinkled this film with some very funny true to life moments. One such episode involves the cooking of a Thanksgiving turkey and is hilarious!

Geena Davis is the free spirit who attempts to connect with him and assuage Hurt's anguish, winning a well deserved Oscar for her performance. Her little boy, sweet and allergic to everything, is a constant reminder to him of his own son, however, prompting him to accept a brief but unsuccessful reconciliation with wife Kathleen Turner which may cost him everything.

Hurt's tremendous performance and an understated score add to this wonderful and heartrending account of one man's personal angst as someone tries to drag him back among the living. One particularly moving scene in Davis' doorway where he expresses his inability to be like other people is absolutely devastating. Her kindness and personal generosity finally begin to wear down the walls, however, and he may just be able to love again, if it is not too late.

This is a richly rewarding film for those willing to take the time and I highly recommend it. It is a testament to our own humanity, the human spirit, and the healing power of love.

One of the most insensitive questions I ever heard a media journalist pose to an actor was just after the 1989 Academy Awards had been handed out and a TV reporter asked a seemingly besotted Kathleen Turner about her co-star Geena Davis's Oscar winning performance. "When you're making a film, can you just tell when one of your fellow actors is turning in an Oscar worthy performance." Kathleen, as seemed her wont at the time, put on an affected Spanish accent and sort of Spanish danced around the question. Neither Turner nor male lead William Hurt had even been nominated for THEIR stellar performances in this celebrated film. In a just world, they probably would have been. But then again, in a truly JUST world, would we even have these stupid Awards.

Of course, there's another very obvious reason why that reporter's question was so stupid: Turner and Davis only share a brief moment onscreen together, and they NEVER actually interact (that we see anyway). Turner may have been viewing some of the rushes, but as for actual first hand impressions of her castmate's performance, how could she possibly have had much to say on that score.

Now I know an actress as outspoken and sometimes downright brazen as Kathleen Turner hardly needs little ol' me to come to her defense, and actually, my main point is a quite different one. What I'd really like to emphasize is that when dealing with a film like ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, one that exhibits such remarkable ENSEMBLE acting, critical focus on just one of the performers actually distorts the public perception of the film's overall quality. The acting, the direction, the cinematography and the script are ALL top notch. There are a great many reasons to see ACCIDENTAL TOURIST. Geena Davis's performance as the eccentric Muriel Pritchett is but one.

I'm sure I'm not the first one to wonder if Davis isn't actually too Hollywood pretty for the role of Muriel. In the book, she comes across as a much less striking figure. Davis wears the clothes--AND the attitude--but she still looks great. If Madonna and Cyndi Lauper hadn't already gone the distance is establishing 1980s "thrift shop chic," Davis might have singlehandedly pulled it off here.

To the filmmakers credit, however, Muriel's stunning good looks are just about the only major departure from Anne Tyler's beautifully crafted novel. If ever there were a text book case on how a script might remain true to the spirit of its source novel, this may be it. The focus is rightly on William Hurt's eccentric and tormented character, the unwilling travel writer, Macon Leary and the two women in his life, his estranged wife Sarah (Turner) and the aforementioned (and equally eccentric) Muriel. But secondary characters, including Macon's three eccentric siblings, his protective (and just as offbeat) publisher-cum-future-brother-in-law, and Muriel's chronically ailing seven year old son are just as lovingly drawn. And they get just enough screen time to win our hearts.

I could only recall one of the book's subplots that got anything like short shrift in the film: Muriel's friendship with a young neighborhood mechanic who shares the use of her car, and in the book, this initially mutually beneficial relationship goes precictably awry. This relationship merits a mention in the film and then gets summarily dropped. It's the kind of cut you can pretty much understand, but readers of the book might well wonder about the wisdom of bringing it up at all. That's quibbling, I know. Viewers who have not read Tyler's book would scarcely notice the mention. And that's as it should be. This is not one of those films where you wonder if this or that allusion in the film was actually a well-developed subplot in the original source novel.

Screenwriter-director Lawrence Kasdan has certainly had his ups and downs over the years. THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST--like other films he has both written and directed (BIG CHILL, GRAND CANYON, MUMFORD)--was decidedly one of the Ups.

Anne Tyler's book is warm, wise and wonderfully subtle; this movie does it absolute justice, and takes on its own special glow. I am not really a William Hurt fan, but the vulnerability he displays here will surprise you; Geena Davis has never been better than she was here (I can still hear her clucking as she trains Hurt's dog; she gets under your skin with a sweet, deceptively simple performance). The understated but essential love story creeps up on you in the most appealing way -- this movie, without being showy in the least, is one filled with hope and possibility.

First off, Which movie did the Amazon reviewer, Marshall Fine, actually see? He gives a synopsis of the plot by saying that Willian Hurt buys a dog for company after the death of his son? Huh? The dog is an intregal part of the story and there is a scene that shows the son and the dog playing before the son's death? Additionally, it is understood, or at least implied that William Hurt does not want to get rid of the dog, even though the dog has behavior problems, because he has the memories of the son and dog playing together! Well, anyway! What this movie is is a moving, strongly realistic, warmly funny, and yet quite original portrayal of a romance between a man (William Hurt) and a woman (Geena Davis). The only difficulty is that on the surface they have nothing in common. Their commonality is that Hurt is a man who has disconnected himself from any emotional efforts because of the tragic lost of his only son, and Davis is the antidote to that disconnect! She is an emotional risk-taker who tries to brake through Hurt's disconnect; and, eventually she does, but not with a dramatic flair, but with a loving persistance. Look, if your only acceptable definition of a romantic movie is "Ghost" or "Titanic" (two movies that I enjoyed immensely) then, this movie may not be for you. However, if you are one of those folks who see romance in the soft, simple, and touching way that two imperfect people can come together and form a near perfect union, then give this movie a shot!