Scanlines

D: Nancy Savoca, Cher; with Demi Moore, Sissy Spacek, Cher, Catherine Keener,
Anne Heche.
VHS Home Video

If These Walls Could Talk received more press for its controversial presentation
of the abortion issue than it did for the merits of the work itself. In actuality,
the film is about pregnancy and the options that three women — unknown to one another
but all residents of the same house over the course of 40 years — explore as they
come to terms with their own positions on abortion. Directed and written with sensitivity
and a fairly uncommon level of objectivity given the subject matter, If These
Walls is one of the few films that leaves us wanting to know more about its characters
and their stories. Demi Moore stars as a widowed nurse facing the consequences of
a grief-inspired liaison in “1952.” Sissy Spacek plays a loving wife and
mother of four children who suddenly finds herself pregnant just when she thought
it was time for her own living to begin in “1974.” As a college student
pregnant with her married lover’s child, Anne Heche fights her roommate’s conflicting
beliefs and her own indecision in “1996.” Three stories, three women, three
decisions, yet they all remind us of the significance of a woman’s right to choose,
no matter what that choice implies. — Alison Macor

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The First Wives Club

D: Hugh Wilson; with Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton,
Maggie Smith, Dan Hedaya,
Sarah Jessica Parker, Stockard Channing, Bronson Pinchot, Marcia Gay Harden, Elizabeth
Berkeley.
VHS Home Video

How is it that this story of three middle-aged women exacting painful revenge
on their husbands comes off as a genuinely funny film, despite the fact I’m not a
bitter divorc�e? The First Wives’ Club is really just an overgrown sitcom
(with a simple plot, wacky high-jinks, and celebrity cameos), but the antics of Keaton
and Hawn are always a refreshing change from an otherwise lackluster selection at
the video store. While some men may cry foul at Wives’ cheap shots, the real
irony of the film is that everyone behind the scenes is male. So here’s a chance
for all you guys to swallow your pride and rent a selection that your s.o. will appreciate,
and you may have a good time in the process.

— Christopher Null

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The Hudsucker Proxy

D: Joel Coen; with Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, John Mahoney,
Charles Durning.
VHS Home Video

This is the Coen Brothers work that folks either love or hate. With its kooky
tale of a small town boy being set up as a patsy for big business, and a plot that
allows his situation to work despite the odds, The Hudsucker Proxy does seem
a departure into feel-good land for the guys who created Blood Simple and
Fargo. It is not surprising that fans of these other films might not appreciate
this warm portrait. Crisp visuals and great performances (watch out for a glimpse
of a svelte Anna Nicole Smith) make this film shine, although Jennifer Jason Leigh’s
characterization, while a good idea, can irritate the most stoic of video renters.
But this work, which kind of feels like a much more positive Brazil, is very
engaging, and at the same time maintains the sharp humor and slick design for which
the Brothers C. have become known.

— Adrienne Martini

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Star Wars Holiday Special

D: Steve Binder; with Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Art Carney.
Bootleg

Hey, where’s the “special edition” of this lost epic? Technically, this
is the second Star Wars movie, as it clocks in at full-feature length (96
minutes) and features all the original cast members except Alec Guiness (Obi Wan
Kenobi decided to stay dead for this one). Call it Star Wars: Lifeday, as
it concerns Han Solo’s attempt at getting Chewbacca the Wookie back to his home planet
in time for his race’s most sacred day. On the way, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia,
and the two ‘droids from the first film are all called upon for help (via interplanetary
video phone calls from Chewey’s family, which must’ve cost a hairy arm and
leg!), but those stalwarts play second fiddle to the likes of Bea Arthur, Art Carney,
and Harvey Korman (three roles, including one in drag!) as the saga slo-o-o-wly proceeds,
intermittently stalled by musical appearances by Jefferson Starship and Diahann Carroll
and a Boba Fett cartoon adventure. If you’ve never seen this, you think I’m kidding
you — and George Lucas certainly wishes I was — but it exists. And yes, Carrie
Fisher even gets to sing in character (if off-key) at the end!

— Ken Lieck

This article appears in April 18 • 1997 and April 18 • 1997 (Cover).