No Standing Ovation for This "Author, Author"

Watching Al Pacino do comedy is somewhat like watching DeNiro in "Analyze This". It just doesn't gel. My cinematic image of Pacino is "Dog Day Afternoon", "Sea of Love" and the Godfather series. Perhaps he just wanted to stretch his comedic wings for a bit (this was released after "Godfather" I and II but before III). In my opinion it's just wasted celluloid.

The plot is basic. Man has wife. Man loses wife. Man turns out to be better parent than wife so retains custody of his child and the four others she has had by former husbands. Filmed during the "awesome 80's", the time when women were feminist enough to go back to work ("Mr. Mom") and recently divorced men were allowed custody of the children ("Kramer vs. Kramer").

Director Arthur Hiller did his best, I suppose, with what he had with but somehow it just wasn't sufficient. The headlines in Variety probably read when it first came out: "This is the 'feel good' movie of the year!" It should have remained on the stage. Watch for a scene in which Pacino eavesdrops on a conversation between the kids. At least one of them is actually facing him!

Although this was obviously an autobiographical "slice of life" for playwright Israel Horovitz. I just can't fathom why it was made into a movie. Although the style is similar, the content doesn't even come close to Neil Simon quality. ("Goodbye Girl", "The Odd Couple"). And unfortunately, the adults play straight to all the good lines, bequeathed to the children. Youngest son Giraldo: "I can't pee with you watching."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm Spanish."

Even the "in" jokes, so commonly the trend in those days, were handed to them. Oldest son Igor commenting on Pacino's love interest: "Alice doesn't live here anymore. Doesn't that sound a little funny?"

This kind of dialogue doesn't enhance the movie. Rather it detracts since the adults here are denigrated to lines such as these from soon to be ex-wife Gloria (Tuesday Weld): "I'm leaving because that's me. That's what I do." Other credible actors are either stereotyped (Alan King) or made a mockery of (Richard Belzer).

Note the condition of the apartment this dysfunctional family shares. I don't care how glib or well behaved these children appear. You take limited space, add 5 kids, you still get chaos. And as for scene settings? They are supposed to be in New York, but rarely make it outdoors.

Younger children can view this and you won't have to concern yourself about gratuitous sex or violent content but I think they will probably tire of it halfway through its screening. There are no computerized special effects for the younger ones and no raunchy gimmicks for the older ones.

Rather than being subjected to this bomb, opt instead for one like "Radio Days" or "Searching for Bobby Fischer" where at least the adults are given some token dialogue as befitting their age.