The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 54

G6 Friday May 5 1995 The Fresno Bee Movies straggles create stir MOVIE REVIEW PRIEST Starring Linus Roache Tom Wilkinson and Robert Carlyle Written by Jimmy McGovern Directed by Antonia Bird A Miramax Pictures release UA Sierra Vista 1 hour 43 minutes (for nudity and sexual situations) Charm works for Ryan Kline By John Scalzi The Fresno Bee Meg at it again Since Harry Met Sally been premiere romantic waif gazing that glassy clueless-but-cute stare of hers and hobbling around like the cutest little puppy that ever walked the earth How can you not like her? just so darned adorable features more of Ryan gazing and hobbling and edging winsomely into the territory of neuroticism No surprise it works for her and for this film Ryan plays Kate an American expatriate living in Canada (Hey technically it is another country) fiance Charlie (Timothy Hutton) is on his way to Paris for a conference and he wants Kate to join him Kate however has a mortal fear of flying which as all you Freud and Erica Jong fans know is indicative of tons of other fears Charlie reluctantly goes to Paris without her A few days later Kate finds out why she should have gone: Charlie has found a French woman and fallen desperately and somewhat pathetically in love The woman Juliette (Susan Anbeh) is your basic female nightmare: young stacked and a mistress of that pouty thing that turns guys into quivering masses of testosterone Jell-O But Kate neurotic though she might be is no quitter on the next plane to Paris fears and all because determined to win back her errant fiance She has no idea exactly how going to do it (begging on her hands and knees is a viable option for Kate) but off nonetheless On the plane Kate meets Luc (played by Kevin Kline who has mastered nearly as many accents as Meryl Streep) Luc appears nearly as loosely wrapped as Kate is tightly bound and is fascinated by obvious difficulties with flying (and life) He helps Kate overcome her fears mostly by slipping her little bottles of Stoli until she passes out This gives Luc who happens to be a thief time to stuff some of his stolen booty into her purse Luc figures the customs people bother Kate whereas bound to give him a hard time just keep her company after they get out of customs long enough to retrieve his stolen goods After bags are stolen Luc ends up keeping her company far longer than he intended to and even helps Kate in her plans to recapture love Of course Luc only a thief also a sensitive guy so as he travels with Kate his feelings toward her become less motivated by purely financial matters is directed by Lawrence Kasdan and the first film of his in a while that I have liked I think because he write it writing tends to be heavy on the life lessons Big which can be annoying after a while is written by Adam Brooks who keeps the dialogue light and the quips quick The script has a breezy tone nicely counterbalanced by vaguely somber style of directing It comes out just about right And frankly hard to mess with Ryan and Kline when they get going has all the right elements in all the right proportions Father Greg is naturally horrified (being in a confessional booth with this father is like being trapped with a monster) and he struggles with what he can do As a priest blocked by the sanctity of the confessional from telling anyone as a man worried about this girl frustrated to tears about his inability to do anything for her Suddenly his world can no longer be doctrinally black and white Father Matthew flawed though he may be helps Father Greg with these problems but at some point Father Greg has to deal with them on his own covers so much ground (it originally was written as a four-part television series for BBC) that it is by necessity highly melodramatic a lot of scenery that is chewed on here and the film raises more issues than it has time to deal with in a satisfactory fashion Nevertheless takes on issues that are very alive in religious life today whether the religious are happy about that or not a film to provoke discussion and that be all bad And the acting is very good Roache as Father Greg is spot-on great as a young man torn between lofty ideals and his weaknesses as a flesh-and-blood man weathered Father Matthew also is very good Robert Pugh as the incestuous father is scarier than all get out These are performances worth watching By John Scalzi The Fresno Bee has gotten more attention for what it is than for what it says a film about a priest who has to come to grips with his sexuality gay) and the rigid structure of the Catholic Church This has been enough to cause a number of religious and political leaders from Cardinal John to Bob Dole (who seen the film and referred to it as to castigate the film called it kind of thing kids used to take delight in scrawling on the walls of Given this you might reasonably worry that going to the film will count as an indelible black mark on your soul But what does the film say? the important part And manages to say quite a lot The film sets itself up to be sensationalistic by having its main character be gay and floundering in his faith important however is that it goes beyond that using the character as an entry to more universal issues that affect that the Catholic Church and religion in general The story is about Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache) a young priest who is sent to a working-class Liverpool parish to assist Father Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson) in his duties The two a good match Father Greg is doctrinal and rigid Father Matthew has a more approach to matters Father Greg is apolitical Father Matthew having spent time in Central America is rather more activist also the matter of Father celibacy or lack thereof which offends Father Greg But then Father black-and-white worldview hits two big potholes The first is one night when Father Greg takes off his collar bikes into town hits a gay bar and becomes intimate with Graham (Robert Carlyle) in a fairly explicit scene Suddenly Father Greg no longer can cast that first stone he has to confront his own sexuality and what it means to him and his life as a priest The second pothole (and the one that the TV ads concentrate on presumably hoping to steer away from the gay issue) is when a 14-year-old girl tells Father Greg in confessional that her father has been sexually abusing her And then in a scene that is as horrifying and shocking as any seen in film recently the father goes to confession admits to the molestation then goes on for a time about how much he likes it This could be any family's story street-wise character (too many years of I suppose) is very good as are Morales and Carrillo Edward James Olmos who plays eldest son Paco and narrates the film moves things along in the right way MY FAMILY Ml FAMILIA Starring Edward James Olmos Jimmy Smits and Esai Morales Written by Gregory Nava Anna Thomas Directed by Nava A New Line Cinemas release UA Sierra Vista and Festival Cinemas 2 hours (for language nudity and violence) TREMENDOUS SAVE UP TO 55 ON SPECIAL REDUCED American Express Cruise Space For most cruise lines Our prices are the lowest GUARANTEED! FASHION FAIR TRAVEL mmm CAPTAIN'S SHI DESK 224-4100 Representative IN FASHION FAIR MALL Next to Weinstocks Per Month NEW CELLPHONE NO HIDDEN CATCHES TRICKS OR GIMMICKS JUST ACTIVATE WITH US ON ANY NEW CELL 1 PLAN FOR 1 YEAR SUBJECT TO CREDIT OK FOR DETAILS AND INFORMATION ASK FOR DAYNA 436-6800 1 08 PACIFIC STATES COMMUNICATIONS PANTHER A 1:30) (4:15) (R) MY FAMILY A (R1 1 VILLAGE OF THE A 12:30) (3:00) (5:30) 30 ROB ROY 15) 14:15) 15(R) THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH 112:45) (PG) DEUCE COUPE a (5:15) (PG-13) THE mmmmts (130) (3:50) 16:001 8: 1510:20 IPG-13) JURY DUTY (1:00) (4:55) 9:00 (PG-131 TOMMY BOY (2:55) 6:55 (PG-131 OUTBREAK (1:15) (4:15) 7: (R) PULPFltTiON Unique Gift for Mom Call 255-7469 or 251-1363 CIRCLE OF FRIENDS DOLORES CLAIBORNE 12:45) Rim I A By John Scalzi The Fresno Bee FamilyMi is the life story not of a person but of a family Sixty years come and go in this film and people are born and die but the film feel like a series of vignettes one story all of the smaller individual stories weave seamlessly together a heck of a thing to pull off most films follow several stories without losing sight of the main theme But director Gregory Nava makes it look easy The family is the Sanchez family of East Los Angeles The film traces them to the 1920s when Jose-Sanchez (Jacob Vargas and later Eduardo Lopez Rojas) is booted from his home in Mexico because his in-laws no longer can afford to feed him Jose has heard he has relatives in Los Angeles but has no idea where California is he figures he can walk there in a couple of days or at most a couple of weeks It takes him a year to walk there When he arrives he meets and falls in love with Maria (Jennifer Lopez then Jenny Gago) Their love is put to the test when during an immigration sweep during the Great Depression Maria is herded into a car and sent to Mexico even though she is a US citizen Maria has to make the same journey her husband made years before with a newborn child Chucho in her arms In the middle segment of the film Chucho (Esai Morales) is a young man headed for trouble 112:35) (3:45) 7:00 (R) DESTINY TURNS ON A THE RADIO 10:00 EVENING ONLY (R) MAN OF THE HOUSE (2:00) (6:00) 10:05 (PG) Major payne TOD A YS BARGAIN PERFORMANCES IN (PARENTHESIS) TS tere i -DIGITAL- SOUND Friday 55 Thru Sunday 57 Only he and another tough Butch Mejia (Michael DeLorenzo) are edging toward a rumble The final act of the film concentrates mainly on youngest son Jimmy (Jimmy Smits) who has grown up much the way his brother Chucho did: looking for and finding trouble errant ways however are put on hold by a near-accidental marriage to a Salvadoran woman named Isabel (Elpidia Carrillo) and the birth of their son Carli-tos predicament with Carlitos is a rough one the kid rejects every attempt Jimmy makes to show him love The main themes of are struggle loss and love but Nava and co-screenwriter Anna Thomas hit a balance between good times and bad The film offers a lot of humor and a number of twists of fate which will make the story seem very familiar the things that happen to this family could happen to any family direction and writing are complemented by his cast which is uniformly excellent Smits who would not have been my first choice to play a BAD BOYS (1:30) (4: 15) (R) MY FAMILY (R) (1 :00 4:00) 7:00 9:45 VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (R) (12:45 3:00 5:15) 7:30 9:35 TOP DOG (PG-13) (1:00 3:10 5:15) 7:20 9:30 A GOOFY MOVIE (G) (1:10 3:00 5:00) 7:00 9:00 TOMMY BOY (PG-13) WIIH (1:10 JURY DUTY (PG-13) OUTBREAK (R) (M 5 415) 700 945 MANCHESTER Blackstone at Dakota Fresno WERE SLEEPING (1:15) (3:30) (6:00) 6: (PG) CIRCLE OF FRIENDS! (1:30) (4:30) 7:30 (PG-13) DESTINY TURNS ON THE RADIO 10:00 (R) EVENING ONLY Photo Session Includes: Makeup Hairstyling for the picture Wardrobe Accessories 15 Poses Photo Shoot with 3 Wardrobe Changes Instant viewing of your proofs on video cove BEFORE FRENCH KISS (PG-13) A (12:45 3:00 5:15) 7:30 9:45 WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (PG) (12:15 230 9:10 THE CURE (PG-13) (1:15 3:15 5:10) 7:20 9:20 FRIDAY (R) (1:00 3:00 5:00) 7:00 9:00 KISS OF DEATH (R) (12:45 2:50 4:50) 7:10 9:15 BAD BOYS (R) (12:30 2:45 5:00) 715 9:30 BARGAIN SHOWS IN (Parenthesis) ML SEATS until 6Dn Gift Certificates Available Fashion Fair Mall 226-4795 I ONE PRICE FOR EVERYONE 1 $200 MON-THURS $250 FRI SAT HOL FOOL (R) LEGENDS OF THE FALL DUMB AND DUMBER (PG-13) BILLY MADISON 1 (PG-13) Expires May 8 1995 No VIPS Accepted DON JUAN DE MARCO (PG-13) (12:50 3:00 5:15) 7:30 9:35 MURIEL'S WEDDING (R) WITH (12:45 DOLORES CLAIBORNE (R) MADNESS OF KING GEORGE WITH (12:50 5:15) 9 45 NOBODY'S FOOL (R) (2:50) 7:20 ROB ROY (R) (1:15 4:15) 7:00 9:45 Mays 1995 Day Champagne Brunch Buffet RESTAURANT LOUNGE COMPLETE Pal Colli WOR-TV NET YORK ufiral urt fte mmf YOU WERE IS A Vkazaytu I TODAY MAGICAL! IT'S BilllUI Aft" RADIO NETWORK SEE IT! Bullock and Pullman light up tbe screen' Sail NY I NEWS TUG-TV 10!" Orarwvr CRN AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSIC? Two Thumbs Up! A star-making performance ky Sandra "I like tire old ways Letter And liked 'Deuce Coupe too it's well done it's enjoyable" John Seal zif 7 tie Fretmo Bee "1 give it an Paul LeMat arid Candy Clark were so good! 1 enjoyed it Inorougldy" pc rent) obL Reviewer KHBN-J 'Tlie speed of 'American Graffiti' tire tkunderous mar of 'Rebel Without a Cause' a cast of phenomenal newnomeisn Itot md combination of lie witching portrayals" fi (icily Silvu return Stale UoivcrBily Daily Catyian "here will be the inevi table comparison to 'Rebel Without a Coupe1 more than bolus il own with an attractive talented cast excel lent photography satisfying" TfWf Virginian-rm SISKELf-EBERT SANDRA BULLOCK BILL WI1MAN While You Were Sleeping A story about love at second sight SCOT PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED A RESONANT PICTURES RELEASE PG! WtllTt 6IR0MK SUGCtSTFD Vm MAHMAl NT SWTMU FNCMUMB PKTUttS COMPANY Regency cinemas 1600 WUfew at Shaw 700-251 7 NOW PLAYING SHOW TIMES 3:00 5:15 7:30 9:45 UNITED ARTISTS Movies four 101 Baretow 430-0406 Now Playing NO FUSES 01 DISCOUNT TOFTS ACCEJTEP FOR THIS FN6AGFMFNT SEE DIRECTORY FOR SHOITIMF.