Strapless (1989)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

David Hare

Writer:

David Hare (written by)

Release Date:

18 May 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Two sisters are about to meet the man of every woman's dreams. He's wealthy, sexy and incredibly romantic. Something's got to be wrong.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Courtship | Gambling | Marriage Proposal | American

Cast

Blair Brown	...	Dr. Lillian Hempel
Bruno Ganz	...	Raymond Forbes
Bridget Fonda	...	Amy Hempel
Alan Howard	...	Mr. Cooper
Michael Gough	...	Douglas Brodie
Hugh Laurie	...	Colin
Suzanne Burden	...	Romaine Salmon
Rohan McCullough	...	Annie Rice
Billie Roche	...	Gerry
Camille Coduri	...	Mrs. Clark
Gary O'Brien	...	Mr. Clark (as Gary O'Brien)
Spencer Leigh	...	Hus
Julie Foy	...	Nurse
Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence	...	Staff Nurse
Cyril Nri	...	Harold Sabola

Runtime:

Canada:100 min | USA:99 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Germany:12 (video rating) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Lee International Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Quotes:

Amy: They're not meant to stay up, though somehow they do.

Soundtrack:

La Nuit Americaine

Bizarre, ludicrous, yet mesmerizing

Bizarre is probably the best word to use when describing this film. The plot lazily, and arbitrarily, bounces back and forth between totally under-written characters and indeterminate settings (at one point I thought some scenes were taking place in Monte Carlo), with barely a nod to coherence. Blair Brown, always fascinating, doesn't have too much to work with here; her character is woefully undeveloped. The mysterious stranger is nothing more than a stalker, and no reason is given for her falling in love with him other than the luxury he can offer her. Bridget Fonda has nothing to do; the scenes in the hospital seem straight out of another movie (or an episode of St. Elsewhere). Despite the flim's almost dizzying lack of sense, I could not, at times, take my eyes away from it. This film is redolent of the sort of warm-shadowed, color-flecked rococo headiness (just look at the title sequence) that is often associated with the culture of the late eighties (watch Bonfire of the Vanities- dont turn up the volume, or pay attention to the characters, just look at the sets). Perhaps the incoherence of the film added to this mysterious gauziness. In any case, I still cant believe this came out of David Hare (despite the presence of Blair Brown). A playwright I usually admire, Hare can go off track, and this is a definite instance of that. There is even a gratuitous, non-sequitur joke about actors, done in a set that includes a poster for a Hare play. This sort of in-jokeyness is completely out of place in a film that sets itself up as a psychological mystery/romance. Also, Nick Bicat's score is distracting, often building into pointless crescendoes in the middle of talky scenes. This movie is . . . . well, lets just call it a curiosity.