Page 10 DTH Omnibus
Thursday November 16, 1989
11 INI IMA
A family learns to accept age
Dad
Jack Lemmon, Olympia Dukakis,
Ted Danson, Ethan Hawke
directed by Gary David Goldberg
Ram Triple
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t is never easy to cope with old
age, for those who age and for
M those who witness it happen
1 ing. Director Gary David Gold
berg (creator of TV's Family Ties)
brings his heartwarming touch to the
screen in Dad, the story of a middle
aged man struggling to accept his ag
ing father's deteriorating mental and
physical condition.
Jake (Jack Lemmon) and Bette
Tremont (Olympia Dukakis) are an
elderly couple who live a routine life
in a middle-class neighborhood. Jake
is completely dependent on Bette to
keep everything in order, and Bette
has no trouble agreeing that she
should. She is domineering: her con
stant companion, a coffee cup that
has "Mother" written on the side,
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epitomizes her character. So when
she suffers a stroke, Jake is left al
most helpless until their son John
(Ted Danson) comes home.
John is a successful New York busi
nessman: the classic example of a
man consumed by his work. He has
not seen his parents in two years and
is shocked to find how routine their
lives are. John agrees to take time off
work to stay with his dad until his
mother recovers.- During this time,
John teaches his father how to take
carof himself and they become very
close. Unfortunately, John discovers
something about his father that he
didn't expect.
The success of this film rests in
Lemmon's performance. He is con
vincing as the aging Jake Tremont.
His shaky gestures, cracking voice
and tender personality capture your
heart as well as your attention. You
can't help but feel sympathy for his
character, who is absolutely terrified
of growing old and dying.
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Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck,
Look Who's Talking) gives an excel
lent performance as the hard-headed
wifemothergrandmother who is
convinced she is never wrong.
Dukakis' penetrating stare and dry,
cutting comments add to her
character's potency. She convinces
the audience that if she tells you to
eat your green beans, you better!
Although her character is essential
to the plot, she's not very likeable.
Since Danson (Three Men and a
Baby, Cousins) is better known as
Sam Malone on TV's Cheers, it is
hard to picture him as a responsible
and caring man. Nevertheless, Dan
son successfully convinces the audi
ence that he can play the fatherly
type.
Danson . doesn't play John as a
greedy man who stays away from his
family on purpose, but as a man who
feels it's his duty as a father to work
and make a lot of money. When he
discovers that his father is suffering
from senility, he immediately responds
by showing his father how to enjoy
his life. This is the cornerstone of
the movie and the beginning of what
becomes an extraordinary relationship.
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Jack Lemmon
John works night and day to make
sure that his father is comfortable.
These are some of the film's most
touching moments. Although it is
unrealistic that he would completely
leave his job for such a long period
of time, John's relationship with his
father acts as a strong contrast to his
A
Based On The
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Some people
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A DON BLUTH FILM
MlPogSco
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From the Director of
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TMC1989 Coldcrest & Sullivan Bluth Ltd.
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51 1 Wh
relationship with his own son (Ethan
Hawke).
Hawke (Dead Poets' Society) gives
an excellent performance as Scott
Tremont, a footloose teen who has
never had a loving relationship with
his father. When Scott hears about
his grandmother's heart attack,he
leaves Mexico (where he has been
searching for the meaning of life),
goes to his grandparent's house and
finds his father there. Hawke does
an excellent job portraying the inde
pendent, sensitive teen.
The audience can immediately
sense the void between John and
Scott. When they greet each other
at the door, they shake hands as if
they were merely acquaintances
which isn't far from the truth. It is
obvious through their relationship
that Goldberg is saying that it takes
something tragic to bring people
closer.
Goldberg's long-running hit TV
series Family Ties brought him rec
ognition as a successful television
director. He based the series on his
personal experiences as a father, and
these ideas cross over into Dad. Just
like the direction of his TV show,
Goldberg is able to combine the
comedy and tragedy of a situation,
often with poignant results, and his
characters are drawn well enough so
that the audience can relate strongly
them.
Although there is little that
distinguishes Dad from a made-for-TV
movie, Goldberg's great skill in
expressing the poignancy of Dad's
drama and the strong performances
of its cast lift it above average TV
fare. Goldberg uses the techniques
he learned in Family Ties to make a
cinema version of entertainment that
the whole family can enjoy.
Dad is the story of a man accept
ing his father's old age and accepting
his own responsibilities as a father.
The movie brings tears to your eyes,
not only from the sensitive moments
but from the humor as well. Although
Danson, Dukakis and Hawke give
worthy performances, it's Lemmon
who will most likely get the Oscar
nomination for his role in this one.
What The
Ratings Mean
O miserable.
OO mediocre
OOO enjoyable
OOOO quite good
OOOOO unmissable
VARSITY
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CHAPEL HILL 67-6665
'POWERFULLY MOVING
AND
SO FUNNY IT HUBTS."
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