Customer Reviews

Finnegan Begin Again [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a nice story! Truly one of those that you'll watch more than once. The evolution by Mary Tyler Moore's character with a rather "make-do" romance with Sam Waterston's character, a scheduled "weekly appointment", bland romance affair, to liking and truly gently loving an older, warmer, tender, and dry sense of humor Robert Preston character, is so delightful!! There are many funny scenes such as Mary and Sam in that muddy grave, and Robert Preston announcing in an awkward moment that "I did your ironing". So Finnigan learns to write his advice column with new vigor and finds true love too. The kind of fluffy story that romantics love, like me! We bought this video because we're collecting Sam Waterston movies. We think he's always excellent in his roles, and this one fits the bill again. Mary is the main character, and she's delightful and the attractive widow who found comfy love. Ah-h-h-h!!

I saw this movie when it first came out and ran on cable TV. I went out of my way staying up late to see it as many times as it ran. Robert Preston and Mary Tyler Moore are both wonderful in their roles. Though I love the Music Man, I have to say this is my favorite Preston role. I loved this movie when I was 22 and love it more at 38. It means even more now that I'm married and have children. "Love isn't what you feel, it is what you do for each other." (*Maybe you won't believe it before you're married, married for 15 years and you'll know it!*)
"I did your ironing."
"I love you for doing my ironing."
Rent it or buy it but watch it and love it... Finnegan Begin Again will become one of your favorite movies after the first viewing and gets better each time after.

This is one of my favorite movies. Robert Preston and Mary Tyler Moore give charming performances about love after 40--or 50! Just to hear Robert Preston giggle at the end of the movie really tickles my heart. This is one of those movies that you never heard of--yet once you see it, it becomes a favorite. I think you'll enjoy it.

This movie was released in 1985 direct to cable TV on HBO.

Romantic-Drama. It's really not a comedy. There are some humorous moments, just as in real life, but the overall tone of the movie is serious.

This movie does not have an MPAA rating. I would rate it as PG-13 because of mild violence, adult content and adult dialog.

Mike Finnegan (Robert Preston) is a newspaperman. When he turned 65 and was forced to retire, the Managing Editor kept him on to write the lonely-hearts column as "Felicity Hope." Mike is not a good fit for the job. His replies are filled with bitterness and morality, which is causing a drastic drop in the number of letters received. His attitude may be because of his own marital situation. His wife, Margaret (Silvia Sydney), is 75 years old and suffers from senile dementia. Despite his personal troubles, he's always a public symbol of cheer when he takes the bus to and from work every day. He greets everyone who boards with a smile and a compliment.

Liz DeHaan (Mary Tyler Moore) is a teacher in her mid-forties. She's widowed and having an affair with a married man, Paul Broadbent (Sam Waterston). Liz keeps up hope that Paul will eventually leave his wife, so she continues to meet him once a week in a run-down apartment on the bad side of town. She takes the bus to their rendezvous so their cars won't be seen together on the street.

On the bus is where Mike and Liz meet. Mike notices Liz is troubled and, because he is an observant newspaperman, deduces this is caused by her present relationship. When he tries to help her by explaining what he has determined by observing her, he actually scares her because he is 100% correct and she thinks that what he knows may cause trouble for her and Paul. Mike allays her fear by confiding some of his own history that relates to her present situation, which also explains why he hasn't left his wife and why he isn't such a good fit as the newspaper's advice columnist.

So now Liz and Mike are friends, although Mike is not quite sure what to make of it all. Liz likes him because what he tells her is what she tells herself. She easily denies the truth when it's herself talking, but she listens when Mike says it. She doesn't understand why; maybe it's because he's completely blunt about it. Whatever it is, she likes it.

A distressing situation occurs and their friendship deepens, but neither of them notices because of their other troubled relationships. Eventually the strength of their friendship is tested.

Watch this movie to see how it all turns out. You won't regret it.

This movie is an A+ across the board.

Story: A+
The character development is excellent, true-to-life and very believable. The dialog is also real and believable. There's nothing corny or glamorous here. No hidden messages. No sugar sweetening.

Acting: A+
How can it be anything but A+ from this cast?

Robert Preston was one of this country's most under-appreciated performers. He was much more than just The Music Man. Sure, when you see him strut down the street with the boom box guy, you might think Harold Hill, and that's okay. It put a smile on my face.☺ He always covers all of the emotions with perfection. With Mike, he gets the chance to cover everything; happy, sad, love, pain.

Mary Tyler Moore is just plain perfect, as usual. She takes Liz from being completely tangled up in her affair that she can't see how wrong it is, then is confused yet intrigued by this strange but honest and concerned man until finally she's able to break free from her troubles.

Sam Waterston surprised me. He's very comical here and I'd never seen him in this type of role. He fits it well and he's very believable and actually makes me like Paul even though Paul is a louse.

Another part of why the main cast works is that their real ages are close to their character's ages. They look the part; they act the part.

Direction: A+
Another great job from Joan Micklin Silver. Full of emotions, evenly flowed.

Visuals: A+
Again, very real and nothing fancy. You don't feel like you're watching this story through a camera.

Great quotes:
"If only flesh and spirit could grow at the same pace."
"I did your ironing."

Other movies like this:
Murphy's Romance (1985) Starring: Sally Field, James Garner

I've gone throgh 2 copies of this film, I've watched it that much! A film I saw when first premiered on HBO, this has remained a favorite that never fails to cheer me, particularly now as I am in a May-December romance myself.The performances are beautiful and so is this gentle, lovely film.

I've been a Robert Preston fan for years, but this film really gives him an opportunity to show the breadth of his talent. Most of the others I've seen cast him into one particular 'type' or another (such as a con-man), but in "Finnegan Begin Again" he shows his capabilities: humour, satire, pathos, comedy.. Mary Tyler Moore, no slouch herself, also plays a 'real person' with exquisite verisimilitude. I first spotted this on a video-store shelf and thought the combination might be good; my expectations were wildly exceeded: the combo is *great!* I bought a copy as soon as I could locate one for sale. There are some adult themes that I think keep this from being full-family fare, but perhaps PG-13 would be the most appropriate rating.

FINNEGAN BEGIN AGAIN is an absolute favorite of mine and my wife's. We saw this when we were first engaged, when it was new, and are both rabid Robert Preston fans. It is a tear-inducing and lovely film, which is easier to identify with the older one gets.

Mike Finnegan (Preston) is at his wit's end. His wife has Alzheimer's, his neighborhood, once swanky, has gone to the dogs. Finnegan carries an extra wallet with a bit of cash in it, in case he's mugged. In one very moving scene for me anyway was Finnegan singing in Gaelic to his wife.

He meets Liz De Haan (Moore) and the magic begins. Though he's old and embarrassed about the whole thing, they fall in love. I just want to add that it is a disgrace and totally inexplicable why this film is only on VHS. The industry has killed that technology, Robert Preston is a better actor than most working today, and this film is a true classic. So what's stopping DVD production?

I have the best idea on earth: why not divide these sleeper-classics among cable TV networks and create networks devoted to these films? Let the public see what's out there, fall in love with the films of yesteryear. It doesn't always have to be "Kurosawa Week" or the Boris Karloff Festival....

This way people can see and cherish these kinds of films, get to know who were the classic stars of 20 or 30 years ago, and which were the greatest films. I know for a fact people love these kinds of films and never get to see them. Problem solved! Once you televise something of caliber, people will want to own it.

Greed, greed, greed. That is what it's all about these days, and no excuse on earth exists, because now we have the technology and the demand for all films to be salvaged and released. SO DO IT!!

I saw this movie when it was first released on TV many years ago. (20 years+) I saw it one time but have remembered it ever since. I'm delighted to find it is still IN PRINT. I'm buying a copy for me and a friend. I *loved* this movie. Preston is a wonderful actor and I still remember the wonderful "burn the pine cones" scene at the end of the movie, not to mention the many other memorable scenes throughout.

This is a very real movie about real life. Great great movie.

The unlikely pairing of Moore and Preston became "Magic" on the screen (big or little) There was warmth, sympathy, comic relief and a tenderness that only Preston can achieve. The movie should be a collectors item ... the story is timeless.... They just don't make 'em like this anymore... a sadness that will leave a void forever... Thank God for Video preservation... Keep this one on your shelf forever... if you need a "lift" for any reason... This movie will "make your day"...!!

This is a very under-apriciated movie. I don't understand why it isn't on DVD. Mary Tyler Moore is a lady settling for an affair with an undertaker who is self centered and undeserving. Robert Preston is a man who was married to an older woman whom he seemed to have adored. There was a tragedy and they coped in their separate ways, staying together,she stays in her own world and refuses to let him in. You see what they had, what they have, and for a small bit of time what could have been. In helping Robert Preston, Mary Tyler Moore sees the person she cares for in a new way. I have not laughed so hard in a long time, I also wanted to cry and to cheer.