Choose Me

7 July 2013

Choose Me 1984

• Director: Alan Rudolph
• Based on book: No
• Cast: Geneviéve Bujold, Lesley Ann Warren, Keith Carradine, Patrick Bauchau, Rae Dawn Chong, John Larroquette
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor  in:
• Genevviéve Bujold – I’m sure I’ve seen her in other movies but I can’t find any in the list
• Lesley Ann Warren – The Limey, Victor/Victoria, Mission Impossible (TV series), Cinderella
• Keith Carradine – Big Bang Theory, A Thousand Acres, The Ballad of the Sad Café, Nashville, McCabe and Mrs. Miller
• Patrick Bauchau - 2012, Ray
• Rae Dawn Cong – The Color Purple
• Why? Liked it the first time
• Seen: First time maybe twenty years ago. Now: July 6, 2013

       It took me a long time to find this DVD but finally I did and the film lives up to my memory of it as a poignant, moving, funny, dramatic and bizarre story.

The characters: Nancy (Anne) – a radio talker who gives good advice to the lovelorn but has no life of her own. Eve (or Karin and a lot of other names) – a bar owner who never finds love but tries a lot. Mickey – a former spy, ace photographer, car mechanic, mental hospital resident (or a big liar?) who likes to get married. Pearl - bar regular, poet, wife of…Zack – Eve’s rich violent lover. Billy – Eve’s employee and once-only lover who loves her.

Their lives all intertwine and weave in and out becoming more and more complex, confusing and bittersweet. Eve doesn’t know that her new roommate Anne is really Nancy of the radio talk show she, Eve, calls frequently for help with her love problems.  Eve doesn’t know that Pearl is married to Zack but Pearl knows that Eve is Zack’s lover. Mickey goes from one woman to the next, treating each as the love of his life.

The entire cast is superb.  It’s a gem of a film.  Nobody I know has seen it or even heard of it.  What a pity.

5* of 5