A Woman Under the Influence

It's become standard issue nowadays, when praising a particularly gifted thespian, to say something along the lines of "He/she's so good, I'd pay to see him/her read the phone book." Gena Rowlands is indeed very talented -- unlike some other actors who have garnered major roles based upon whom they share their beds with -- but watching her read the phone book would be preferable to this interminable two-and-a-half-hour portrait of a couple doing nothing in particular. Gena gets flighty and loses track of reality, while Peter Falk as her husband squints, grunts and periodically gets riled up and starts yelling and punching people, like a bipolar Popeye the Sailor Man. Then Gena goes to an asylum for a while, but God forbid we actually get to see that happen, as it would require a location other than the one house that most of the film takes place in. That the film was nominated for two Oscars (for Rowlands and director John Cassavetes) can only be chalked up to guilt for never having given the admittedly talented twosome due recognition before. Cassavetes' son Nick essentially directed a variation on this same theme with 1997's She's So Lovely, and it was a massive improvement, adding more characters and actual story. That it was based on yet another script by his father suggests that the elder Cassavetes should perhaps have cranked out a few more drafts before actually making this one.