Customer Reviews

Sweet Hearts Dance [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wiley and Sandra Boon (Johnson and Sarandon) were high school sweet hearts, the ones who were admired and loved by everyone, the perfect couple. Some years and three children after, Wiley realizes how bored and sad he is because of what his life has become: boring and sad. At least that's what he thinks. He decides to leave the house to find himself, we could say that what he finds out is that that life was the one that he longed for, but that's simplistic as hell. So, while he is out there thinking how it was that he fell out of love, his best buddy Sam (Jeff Daniels) has finally found the one girl he's looked for all his life -or is she?. This 1988 film starred Don Johnson in the best work of his career (so far) and Susan Sarandon in some kind of post-Springsteen characters story (theirs was the idyllic marriage, they were the king and queen of high school) and they are now trapped in the routine of marriage. Bruce Springsteen wrote in one of his songs that heroes are the ones who raise children and make families happy, so, here it is, a great, well acted, better written heroic story that will show you what married life really is.

Isn't it funny how sometimes a film can mirror your life. I came across this movie on the Encore channel this weekend and tuned in because of the title. I stayed with it because Don Johnson looked so great, at his peak I would say. I finished it because of the story, touching, telling and true to life.

Don Johnson and Jeff Daniels are engaging as old high school buddies, and the movie is, on the whole, very endearing, but I find Sarandon as Johnson's wife a strange bit of miscasting. Although she is a good actress, she really did not fit the part. Elizabeth Perkins was amusing, but too restrained. All in all, an enjoyable movie.

Only recently got to see this movie - was drawn by the cast of stars, and really enjoyed the movie overall. Painted a very true to life portrayal of a couple that everyone envied, who couldn't keep their hands off eachother when they dated in high school and how after time and kids, the spark in their marriage is threatened. Jeff Daniels is always fun, and Susan Sarandon is one of my favorite actresses. This is good movie.

Don Johnson and Jeff Daniels are excellent in this film about relationships. Although after a while, when Wiley (DJ's character) tries to patch things up with his wife (Susan Sarandon) she is awfully bitchy. We all go through various stages in our relationships and some of us grow up while some of us grow apart. This depicts how one couple starts to grow apart, but are finally able to grow back together. Not too many people can come back from the brink like that. This also depicts the confusion created for the kids when the parents are at odds. Jeff and DJ are great as life long friends who depend on each other a lot. They are each other's rocks. It is good to have those people outside of a marriage to help you through anything. Jeff Daniels mother in the movie makes a good point when she tells Sandy (Sarandon) that her husband was a difficult man to live with and just because they were together a long time doesn't always mean it is easy, it takes work and sacrifice. Although it doesn't seem headed that way, there is a happy ending.

I just saw this movie and was blown away by the story line. The best acting I have ever seen, Don Johnson is perfect in this role and I was never a fan before. Great, gotta see flick.....

Don Johnson is always five stars with me. A consumate actor, his range makes him an actor's actor. The DVD itself was flawless, and it arrived almost immediately.

I like Don Johnson in almost everything. The movie had alot of "F" words and God**** (which I didn't like). Overall, the movie was heartfelt and at times you wanted to just scream at both Susan and Don as they went through a 'rough patch' in their marriage. The acting was good and it made you think alot about life in general. It made me want to sit my husband down to watch it (maybe one day). I wouldn't let kids watch this because it has foul language, but as an adult I did my best to ignore it. The writer's could of definately left out the foul language or used less intense foul language. If you like Don Johnson, add this to your collection!

I first saw Sweethearts Dance at its original release in 1988. I went alone, and I was lonely, because my wife and two sons were on a school trip or something. Perhaps because of this, it has stayed in my memory all these eighteen years. Sweethearts Dance was released the year before Field of Dreams, and in some ways it deserves similar status. Field of Dreams is about how easiy life can go awry. Everything is resolved through magic. Sweethearts Dance is about how easily the optimism of youth and the passion of marriage can be diluted by the routines of making a living, raising children, and managing a family. Everything is resolved through the persistence of love. Which one is more true to life? The film contains some memorable scenes, such as the turning point when Susan Sarandon's and Don Johnson's characters admit that all they want is to love each other. As Don, sitting in a tree outside the window of his own bedroom, tells his wife, "How did things get so screwed up? I miss you. I miss our children," my eyes filled with tears. Jeff Daniels, one of the best supporting actors in the business, loves Don and Susan both, and he has his own problems with love. He has found the perfect woman, but he pushes too hard and nearly loses her. The scene in which she calls him from home while he is on vacation to thank him for asking him to marry her also tugs at the heart. Jeff is able to say, "I like you," and it's enough to restore the relationship. The ending of the movie is one of the most delightful ever filmed--you'll laugh and cry at the tenderness and ridiculousness of it. Tender and ridiculous--kind of how love is sometimes. Last week I stumbled on it while looking for something else and bought it. Last night I watched it with my wife. It felt like something important had finally been finished.

This movie has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Trying, slowly, to
convert all my favorite videos over to DVD. I categorize this movie in 'my' collection as, nostalgic.