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61 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Riveting, January 16, 2000
Of all the movies that I have seen that has moved me, Scent of a Woman was the one that did it. A highly emotional movie which starred Academy Award Winning Actor, Al Pacino who portrayed Ret. Lt. Col. Frank Slade, and Chris O'Donnell as the young fresh faced student of the prestigious Baird School, Charlie Simms. Charlie(O' Donnell) takes a job caring for Slade(Pacino), a washed-up, decorated military man who clings to his Jack Daniels, so he can earn enough money to go home for the Christmas Holidays. Along the way, Slade takes the young man through different turns during the Thanksgiving Day weekend in New York City not knowing what the boy will expect. While the unpredictable occurs, Charlie contemplates his fate with his school honor--a conflict of interest with who is your real friends and who are not. The entire movie wraps around relationships and how strangers can make a difference in a little over 2 hours and 37 minutes. For one weekend, Charlie and Slade discover that they need each other more than they thought, with different circumstances. You'd have to see the movie to know what I'm talking about, especially the finale. The director, Martin Brest(Beverly Hills Cop and Meet Joe Black), has the knack of bringing out the best in the characters even in unpleasant situations. The soft sides always show in those who don't appear to have it. If this film had a theme it would be, living is worth living.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
By far my favorite movie, February 16, 2003
By A Customer
When I first heard of this movie, I had no clue what it was about. My friend and I saw a teaser poster with Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar dancing the tango labeled "Scent of a Woman". Putting two and two together, we went into the theater thinking we were watching a love story until the movie started. Whoops. Despite my misgivings in the beginning, I was pleasantly surprised. What I found was a riveting story of mentor-mentee relationship. I love movies that involve the master taking young grasshopper under his wing. Except master is not Mr. Perfect himself. Both the student and the teacher learn from each other's weaknesses. And despite Lt Col Slade's struggle with his misfortunate blinding accident, his Army core values were still in tact. Hard-working and willing to give up a Thanksgiving weekend to look after an embittered retiree, Slade sees an underlying goodness in Chris O'Donnell's fragile, fence-sitting character, Charlie. Like most young men his age, he was susceptible to peer pressure and could easily choose the wrong path as his friends had. Slade is blind but easily sees the temptation to compromise the boy's integrity and future. "This old bat has sharper radar than the Nautilus" Slade tells his young league. He lays all the cards out for Charlie to see, but knew instinctively it was up to the boy to make his own decision. Charlie eventually shows his true colors in the face of adversity. Like a good soldier, he never leaves his commander's side even when the danger is self-inflicting. Character like that is a rarity in anyone and must be preserved! This prompts Slade to reciprocate his support for Charlie who is enrolled in a prestigious school reknowned for producing some of the most important figure heads in America. "Be careful what type of leaders you're making," he warns the school staff. Charlie learns lessons in life that no school could teach him. Underneath the tough exterior, there was a softer side to Slade. He definitely had a thing for the ladies. Instead of playing up a macho cassanova, "Mac-Daddy" persona predominate in a lot of films today, Slade is quite the charmer and gentlemen. He's cultured, sophisticated, genteel and surprisingly knowledgeable about women's perfume. Hence the film's title. I find that warrior-poet quality incredibly sexy and appealing. You can't resist a man who makes the tango look so easy and doesn't mind getting "all tangled up" with you. A beautiful role played by Pacino earning him a well-deserved oscar which probably was most credited for by his empowering monologue in the end. This is by far his best role in a movie. Lovely film. Sweet, sad, romantic yet uplifting. This is truly a classic for the ages.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Tango Scene, January 22, 2007
Little is said about the tango scene, thus far. That allows me the pleasure of being the first to talk about the interesting things that are going on there. Frank, an ardent admirer of the beauty of women, and an afficionado of the Tango, finds himself with an opportunity for a special moment, a situation, in which he proceeds to charm a sweet flower of a young woman, so well embodied in Donna, with his manner and his words. Tango music is swaying in the background, compellingly played by The Tango Project. Frank asks Donna if she can Tango; she had wanted to learn, but her Michael didn't. Frank offers her a lesson, then and there. She hesitates, blushes, smiles, and finally submits to his " seduction." They escort each other to the dance floor. Aware of Frank's blindness, Donna instinctively holds him closer. "Por un Cabeza" begins. Frank leads her, gently and masterfully, through the beautiful ritual of the Tango. She seems to move as one with him. Effective camera work reveals Frank's dramatic and romantic execution of the Tango, and Donna's pleasure and surprise at her ability to follow him, effortlessly, through this colorful dance that she has long wished to do. They leave the dance floor. One gets the sense that what transpired was more than simply a dance lesson. They were both deeply fulfilled by the experience; Frank, by being with a beautiful woman, doing his beloved Tango, and Donna, by finally doing a Tango with a charming man. I would add that Donna was not mildly smitten by Frank, as betrayed by her glances toward him during the brief conversation that followed, and as she was being led away by Michael, who had joined them. She was obviously not very willing to say goodbye. A small tragedy is perceived in the fact that Frank could not see and reap the reward of the attraction of a beautiful woman; there is no doubt that he sensed it, but he would have been very pleased to see it.
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