The Morning After . . . can be murder.
That was the tag line on the posters for Jane Fonda's 1986 film The Morning After. The film, directed by Sidney Lumet and co-starring Jeff Bridges, just made it's DVD debut and if you've missed it, here's what you're missing.
The DVD extras include the original trailer for the film and a commentary by Lumet. We're not impressed with many commentaries and think the best ones are frequently the ones where two or more commentators provide laughs throughout. (The worst commentary? Probably on a DVD collection of a TV series where a momentary TV star who still hasn't made it as a film actress repeatedly insults the show that's on her only claim to fame and the audience who watched it.)
Lumet's commentary is actually worth checking out. He provides details of his own career, of what was necessary to get certain shots, contrasts filming in Los Angeles to filming in New York, of the performers, the genre, and seriously addresses where he feels mistakes were made. Note that the commentary is available only in English and French. The film is availabe in both languages as well as Spanish.
The film itself? Lumet rightly notes it's melodrama. A number of critics, when the film was released, praised the performances but felt the identity of the killer was too obvious. That's because they thought the film was intended to be a thriller. (Many of those critics compared it to Fonda's Klute.)
This is a character study and for that to work you need strong characters. They're fleshed out by, among others, Kathy Bates, Raul Julia, Bruce Villanch, Richard Foronjy, and, in a tiny role that still demonstrates more range than anything her daughter's done in years, Frances Bergen (mother of Candice).
The main characters are Fonda's Alex Sternbergen and Bridges' Turner Kendall. Turner's an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic. Alex is a faded actress and a practicing alcholic. The Morning After opens with a TV set illuminating a darkened room where two bodies are sprawled on a bed. One, Alex, begins coughing as she wakes up. Disoreinted from a night of boozing, she soon discovers blood on the sheets and a dead body in bed next to her.
As she later explains it to Raul Julia's Joaquin Manero ("Jackie") who asks, over the phone, if the man died of a heart attack, "Yeah. From a knife in his chest."
Alex, for a number of reasons including a past history of violent episodes when drunk, quickly leaves the crime scene and attempt to flee the city. Problems ensue due to the day, Thanksgiving, which prevents her from getting a last minute flight out of Los Angeles.
Leaving the airport, she meets Turner. Did Alex kill her bed mate? Is she being set up? Is Turner involved?
Those are the questions dealt with as the two damaged characters come together. Bridges is at his most appealing and Fonda's simply amazing. (She earned her seventh Oscar nomination for this film.)
Playing an actress allows Fonda to hit a wide range of notes and deliver one of her finest performances. It's a powerhouse role filled with moments of rage, doubt and humor. Few ever burrow as deeply into a role and even fewer have the talent to pull it off.
The scene at Turner's where Alex is confronted with the front page stories of the murder ("You think they could have mentioned the one fucking good film I made!") and Turner's straight truth ("You're a lush, Alex.") explodes and it's all the more amazing when you note that you're seeing Fonda actually drunk. (And still delivering an amazing performance.)
The DVD transfer reclaims the rich colors of the film. (They're flattened on the earlier video tape version.) The commentary is truly a bonus. Bridges is at his finest. But the main reason to watch is quite simply Fonda who reaches a level of acting that's a benchmark.
We'll close by swiping from The Common Ills to note this:
If you missed them, The Third Estate Sunday Review reviewed all the Fonda comedies on DVD. That was a group effort many times but near the end, it became Ava and myself. You can check their [note to the readers] to find out which was which:
"DVD review: Cat Ballou"
"DVD Review: Barefoot in the Park "
"DVD review: Barbarella"
"DVD review Jane Fonda's Fun With Dick & Jane"
"DVD review: Jane Fonda in California Suite"
"DVD review: The Electric Horseman"
"DVD review: Nine to Five"
We'll also swipe this about Monster-In-Law:
Film reviews aren't done at The Third Estate Sunday Review. It's for the same reason that cable TV shows aren't reviewed. They're trying to reach a wide audience and be aware (and respectful) that money is an issue. (In our TV reviews, Ava and I knocked out the majority of shows broadcast Friday evening's due to the requests of parents with young children who wrote in requesting that due to the fact that Fridays is a stay-at-home night for many of them.)
But when a number of silly reviewers seemed to be seeing things that weren't in the film (David & Lisel) we did weigh in. In addition, every community member that had a site also did. Folding Star shut down A Winding Road, but you can read Folding Star's comments via The Third Estate Sunday Review repost. (All other ones listed below will take you to the members own site.)
"8 Days on the road to hell and heartland" (Betty, Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man)
"Film: Folding Star on Monster-in-Law" (Folding Star, A Winding Road)
"monster-in-law is now playing don't miss it" (Rebecca, Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude)
"Film: Rebuttal to Davey and Lisel half-baked Monster-In-Law reviews" (Ava and myself, The Third Estate Sunday Review)
(Mike hadn't started Mikey Likes It! when Monster-In-Law came out, but you can find his comments on the film in "Everybody Likes Mike: the man behind Mikey Likes It!" -- The Third Estate Sunday Review)
[. . .]
"Shirley rightly points out that Monster-In-Law was one of the topics in "Roundtable III" at The Third Estate Sunday Review."
Thanks to Isaiah for allowing us to rerun his drawing of Jane Fonda.