Product Details

• Actors: Judy Davis, Sally Field, Winston Rekert, Jerry Wasserman, Carly Pope
• Directors: Susan Seidelman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: December 19, 2000
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004XPQH
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,345 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different, but deeper., July 13, 2001

By	A. Bouardi (San Antonio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I give this five stars, not for it being an incredible film, but for it being a film which entails so much more than most films made today. I keep hearing people mention that it's the kind of movie made for older women. My response is...whatever. As a twenty yr old who watched this film with a male friend who makes hip hop music, I can say it's a film for everyone alike. We both felt the characters had so much depth and all were highly interesting as people. It's enjoyable and it moves at a nice brisk pace and regardless of some people say, it's a person movie, not a female movie. You don't have to wait for girl's night out, you can watch it with anyone who likes good character development and an interesting look at life from a new angle. Judy Davis is excellent. The movie only suffers from the fact that time is taken up with an unnecessary love interst for Sally Field...and wastes the time they could have used giving us a more solid understanding of the final relationship Field's character and Davis' character have developed. Ah...what they do for poignancy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, funny, and motivational, January 21, 2006

By	Bookreader79424 "I love Casa Ole!" (Earth) - See all my reviews

I found "A Cooler Climate" to be a delightful film. The film is about a woman, whose a recent divorcee and gets a job as a housekeeper. Sally Field plays the recent divorcee and housekeeper to another well-to-do woman (played by Judy Davis), her employer and they soon begin to realize that they have more in common than differences. They're both unhappy for different reasons, but begin to develop a friendship.

The basic premise of the movie is about a well-to-do divorcee, Sally Field, who realizes that sometimes life isn't always the way you intend it, but you can make the best out of a difficult situation.

If you enjoy movies that are entertaining, somewhat dramatic yet inspirational, then I would highly suggest this to anyone whether you're a man or woman because everyone can learn from Sally Field's character.

*(Recommned for older children and adults due to profanity and some of the adult themes such as divorce, marital infidelity being mentioned, etc.)*

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful character study, lackluster script, June 5, 2001

By A Customer

Iris (Sally Field) is an intelligent, middle-aged woman whose life has gone hopelessly awry after leaving her husband for a younger man. In desperation, she accepts a job in a resort town as housekeeper to Paula (Judy Davis), a strident, unhappy socialite whose own emotional life is equally fragile in spite of the superficial trappings of success. Despite their incompatibility, the two women slowly learn to co-exist and, as Paula's life also begins to unravel, eventually even come to respect and care about each other.

This made-for cable drama, which debuted on Showtime, feels (as one other reviewer here noted) more as if it belonged on Lifetime. Earnest to a fault, the script is hopelessly contrived and there isn't a plot twist that you won't see coming a mile away. In addition, the assortment of odd-but-lovable townspeople contains just about every stereotype you can think of. Nevertheless, this rates as a must-see for fans of its stars. Both Field and Davis are extraordinaly good in tailor-made roles.

Also, cliches notwithstanding, the film is at its best in some terrific quiet moments. Iris sits at a table with her daunting stack of bills spread out in front of her, trying valiantly to decide to whom she can afford to give twenty of her hard-earned dollars. Paula recoils after Iris first stands up to her, realizing that she may not have the upper hand in the relationship that she thinks she has. In a hotel room, Paula and her husband, Leo, discuss their troublesome 19-year old daughter and we get a glimpse of the sadness and emptiness of Paula's life. Unfortuantely, all these (and more) moments are done in by a script that ties up every conceivable loose end in the last fifteen minutes. In short, this is a film whose sum of its parts is much greater than the whole.

Still, it's worth a look. In addition to the performances, it is a rare film that even tries to explore a complex relationship between two radically different and difficult women.