Customer Reviews

Cannery Row

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First of all...to all High School students out there who are required to read Steinbeck's book "Cannery Row" ...if you try to get by with just watching this movie and writing your report your grade will suffer! Oh, it has nothing to do with the quality of the film...I'll get to that later, it's just that this film is a blending of two of Steinbeck's books, "Cannery Row" and "Sweet Thursday." Both of those stories are set along Cannery Row in Pacific Grove/Monterey, CA, and have many of the same characters in them, but unless you already know the stories you may well include material from "Sweet Thursday" in your report on "Cannery Row," and...OOPS...there goes the old grade! So, beware! Now...on with the review...

Nolte plays "Doc" the main character in the story. His character is based on a real life person, a marine scientist named Ed Ricketts who lived and worked along Cannery Row (which was certainly not the tourist attraction in the 1930s-40s that it is today). You can, by the way, still see the building where Doc Ricketts worked if you visit Pacific Grove...it's just down the road from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. OK, OK, enough history, back to the movie...

Nolte does a great job of playing the out of the way, but not really down and out "Doc." Things are going along smoothly until Winger hits the scene, then there's romance in the air, though it doesn't land until much later.

I suppose you could call this movie a romantic comedy, or you could call it a romance, or you could call it drama, or you could call it real life -- Steinbeck was like that -- he was into real life.

This is, I agree, an underrated film. It's true that there are slower parts, and if you don't like narration in films then you won't like this one much. If you're looking for a barn-burner action thriller this is NOT the film for you. But if you are looking for interesting character and plot development you will enjoy this film.

Nolte and Winger have good on-screen chemistry, and you will enjoy being the mouse in the corner are you observe their developing relationship.

5 stars for the thoughtful crowd.

Alan Holyoak

Looking for an exact replication of Steinbeck's reads on film? Keep looking. Want an entertaining adaptation of those same reads? Look no further. This is another film I never tire of seeing time and again. REALEASE IT ON DVD ALREADY!

It's clear that the majority of viewers who've watched this movie disagree with the reviewer so disappointed by it's pacing and verisimilitude. I'm curious why anyone capable of scattering terms such as 'egregious contrivances' in their review of a light romantic comedy was assigned to anything based on Steinbeck's work in the first place. A populist romantic comedy is one film category where it may be wiser to trust the opinion of the viewers who're raving about it over the sneering technical quibbles of a critic armed with a thesaurus. Populist film based on populist fiction simply may not be the best assignment for any reviewer clearly unable to climb off what must be a most uncomfortable corncob. For ordinary folks not frightened by references to egregious contrivances and verisimilitude, other viewers who've seen Cannery Row unite in recommending the movie for it's performances by Nolte and Winger. M. Emmet Walsh outdoes himself as Mack, nearly as good a performance as his masterpiece in 'Blood Simple'. Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday were among the sweetist and funniest books that Steinbeck produced. Perhaps all the humor that the rest of us enjoyed in the film combining the novels was difficult to enjoy while perched atop that unfortunate cob. For Steinbeck fans, or fans of romantic comedy, this film won't disappoint. We join together in urging anyone suffering from egregious contrivance phobia to seek immediate help at the nearest competent proctologist.

Back in September of 1999 I wrote a review praising this movie as one of my favourites. As one might note on reading the reviews here, most people who watched Cannery Row and bothered to write a review agreed.

In the past five years, tens of thousands of truly horrendous films have been transferred to DVD, even films that most people found completely unwatchable: The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), It's Pat: The Movie (1995), Baby Geniuses (1999), and the entire Police Academy series. In fact, *most* of the films found on The 100 Worst Films of the 20th Century list are now available on DVD.

To anyone actually awake at MGM Home Entertainment: please release this film on DVD. My VHS deck died many years ago.

Some of you will remember when, if a broadcast movie wasn't quite long enough to fill a 2-hour time slot, the network would occasionally show a "Making of..." short. Nowadays, these shorts are relegated to the 'E' channel, which builds whole 'Coming Attractions' programs around them.

In any case, that's how I was first exposed to this movie. I was charmed by the comments of a little known Debra Winger and Nick Nolte about their characters and the development of their on-screen romance. I was also impressed with the filmmaker's effort to recreate the Cannery Row of the 1930's, on a soundstage.

No, it doesn't look like "real life". It's not a recreation of real life! It's a recreation of real life - as filtered through the author's imagination. I'm sure Ed Ricketts was a wonderful friend to John Steinbeck, but never quite as colorful and endearing as the pictures painted in his stories.

Granted also, the baseball pitcher subplot didn't exist in either 'Cannery Row' nor 'Sweet Thursday', but it's very effective in illustrating the movie's central theme. Which is, that like ourselves, these characters are always dealing with everything else which took place in their lives, prior to this moment in time. We can either run and hide from our past, or face it and embrace our lives for what they have - and may - become.

Like others, I'd love to see this movie available on DVD. Maybe then they'd include Dr. John's wonderful soundtrack, and I'd be able to see 'The Making of Cannery Row' short again.

...and John Huston's narration should have won him another Oscar.

I don't get Tom Keogh's sour review of this film, but I've noticed he seems to hate most of the movies I like. Go figure. Anyway, don't pay him any mind. This is a wonderful film and besides Nolte and Winger's performances the "supporting" (in a way, they steal the show) performances by Emmett Walsh and Frank McRae are brilliant (and hilarious). This is a comedy/drama/romance that works in every way.

....

Cannery Row is a delightful film, but doesn't have much to do with Steinbeck's novel.

The characters, for the most part, are there, although there would be no part for Debra Winger in the novel. Nick Nolte isn't a good match physically for the Doc in the novel, but his portrayal is right on target. M. Emmet Walsh captures the essence of Mack, but again, perhaps not a good physical match. Casting Frank McRae as Hazel is a bit of a stretch, although McRae turns in a brilliant performance.

The story itself, as presented in the film, is only reminiscent of the novel. The Debra Winger character in the film doesn't exist in this novel, but appears in a later novel called "Sweet Thursday". In fact, much of what is shown in Cannery Row the movie has been gleaned from "Sweet Thursday."

While much of the charm from the novel is lost in the film, the film offers up much charm on its own. The settings are stylized, giving the film a feel of fantasy rather than reality. Some may find fault in this but the stagy sets seem to make the film more romantic.

The music that haunts us throughout the film may not be quite timely to the period, but is appropiate in tone and is a joy to hear. It is as much a part of the mood of the film as the visual approach.

Perhaps the best "casting" in the film is having John Huston provide the narration. While much of the text did not come from the novel, it is brilliantly done.

Today's audiences may find the film "slow moving." This is something to be savored, though, and any other pacing would destroy the enjoyment. The world, and Cannery Row especially, moved to a different beat than today's world. Sit back and let the leisurely pace take you back to a simpler time.

While not faithful to the novel in content, this film does capture the mood of the novel and is well worth experiencing.

Cannery Row may not be the best movie of all time, but it is definitely my favorite.
It's touching and funny and I cry every single time I watch it.
The relationship developement between Doc & Suzie is so comically true to life.
Mac & the Boys are so amazingly strange.
And the music is awesome.
I can't say enough good things about it.
Here's to wishing this movie gets released on DVD soon.

I don't watch many movies, and I don't care for many I watch, but I pop this one into the VCR about once a year. Can't get enough of it.

John Huston's narration makes this movie, especially his soliloquy on frogs and humans...true to Steinbeck, for a few lines, anyway.

I note that Amazon's critic didn't like the movie's pace, but it seemed to me to be true to Steinbeck's writing. Read Cannery Row or Tortilla Flat, and you'll see that Steinbeck's rhythms - and those of the people of whom he writes - are faithfully reproduced. Look elsewhere for your taut thriller.

As a jazz fan, I loved the score. Nolte and Winger...what can I say? Their chemistry is perfect. This one's a keeper.

Way back in '87, against my will, my ex-wife forced me to watch this movie. I'm glad she did, as it's become one of my favorites - mainly for most of the reasons listed by the other reviewers. It's one of those movies like Hard Day's Night and The Blues Brothers that lift my spirits when I'm down. The real reason I wanted to write, though, was to address all those queries from the other reviewers who were looking for the sound track. There isn't one. However, Dr. John, who played all those piano pieces in the movie has an album out titled "Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack." While the songs on the album are different than those in the movie, they're mostly the same boogie-woogie style that's prevalent throughout the movie, and it makes for a nice substitute. Anyway, for what it's worth, I wanted to pass along this bit of tid, and hope it's helpful.