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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
In Praise Of Older Women: Sex Education By Trial And Error., January 21, 2005
This review is from: In Praise Of Older Women (DVD)
In this movie, a young Tom Berenger portrays a young man in Post-World War II Hungary who falls in and out of love with numerous older women. His character's infatuation with older women begins as a child during the war, when he loses his virginity to a middle-aged prostitute. From there, he moves to Budapest to go to college, and moves in with an older woman, portrayed by Karen Black. They fall in love with each other. Then the woman's best friend, portrayed by Canadian stage actress and artist Marilyn Lightstone, joins them in social events. Eventually, Ms. Lightstone's character seduces Berenger's character, and in a memorable scene of seduction, she entices him to have sex with her on the living room floor. But Ms. Black's character catches them in the act, and she breaks up with Berenger's character and kicks him out. Berenger then falls in love with a female resistance leader during the 1956 Hungarian Crackdown by Russian troops and tanks. She departs for deep cover, and Berenger's character emigrates to Canada. It is there that he begins a relationship with a woman more closer to his age, portrayed by a young Helen Shaver. Eventually they engage in a erotic strip scene before having sex together. But they end up breaking up also. At the end of the film, Berenger is now a teacher, who sets up a date with a younger female student, and the film ends. The eroticism is very good in this film, but it leaves you wanting more. For me, Marilyn Lightstone, despite her little screen time, stole the spotlight with her eroticism and her sexy body. Helen Shaver shows that she is willing to put out in a movie, also. She would go on to even greater levels of eroticism in the movie "Desert Hearts". Unfortunately, Tom Berenger never lived up to the potential to be a "leading man" actor that this film showed promise of when it was made. Instead, he was confined to character roles, such as in the movie "Gettysburg". But this film gives the viewer a glimpse of what Tom Berenger could have been had mainstream Hollywood had given him his chance to shine.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Praise Be Thy Girdle!, April 19, 2004
Oh, for a Time Machine. . .some metaphysical contraption to take me back to the Seventies, when I first saw and enjoyed this cute little movie. Back in those heady days, I was able to lustily envy a young dude who embarks on a series of steamy affairs with attractive women almost twice his age, to gawk and gander while the muscular protagonist sweats and grunts and groans--then collapses exhausted into the nurturing arms of his mature lover. But, time marches on, and so does my perception. Almost thirty years after its theatrical release, I now watch IN PRAISE OF OLDER WOMEN and subsequently fidget and squirm with discomfort. And that's not because the story is any less intriguing: on the contrary, it's all the more alluring as I wax nostalgia from the distance of middle age. What bothers me--annoys me, actually--is the lack of production quality for this film: from shabby lighting, to mumbling audio, to a musical score that literally makes you reach for the "Mute" button. But there are other troubling problems. Young Andras Vayda (Tom Berenger) is a young Hungarian with a wandering eye for the older ladies. And Andras does find love (the rascal) in his turbulent, war-torn country--a country desperately trying to break free from Soviet domination. Yet when Andras participates in the ill-fated Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the event is filmed in a sound stage the size of my living room (so much for scale). Forced to flee Hungary, Andras takes his appetite to Montreal, and the trysts continue. Some of the "older women" include Karen Black, Susan Strasberg, and Helen Shaver. The "mature scenes" were certainly provocative in the Seventies, but are bland by today's standards. Berenger furnishes sufficient "abs of steel" to satisfy female viewers, while the guys catch glimpses of female nudity through all the awful lighting. As a comedy-drama, IN PRAISE OF OLDER WOMEN is passing entertainment, provided the viewer can look past all of its annoying defects.
--D. Mikels
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"In Praise of Older Women" is sexy fun!, March 23, 2008
This review is from: In Praise Of Older Women (DVD)
This hard to find movie shows "the promise" of Tom Berenger's career. He was fun to watch as he beds one lady after another. It's also fun to see a sexy movie without a lot of politically correct thought.
As he grows older, each lady has an imapct on his life and brings more aspects of his character into view.
All in all, this is just a fun sexy romp reflecting the times and history.
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