Afterglow (1995) from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski) and Tuna

Scoop's notes in white:

"Nor I You"

In The Last Tycoon, the hands-on martinet of a studio boss makes one of his directors re-shoot a lengthy, complex, expensive scene between two superstars because one of the characters responds "nor I you" to a line something like "I'll never forget you, kid". His point was that although it is perfectly possible to construct and to understand that expression, its use is purely hypothetical. In the entire history of the English language, nobody has ever actually said that in such a situation.

Somebody should make director/writer Alan Rudolph watch that scene, because all of his characters talk like that. Nick Nolte plays a handyman in this film. I don't know how to imagine a more down-to-earth guy than Nick Nolte as a handyman. Maybe Art Carney as Ed Norton, or Billy Bob Thornton as a convenience store manager. Yet, although it is Nolte and he's fixin' stopped-up drains, he's firin' out subtle double entendres, bon mots, and "nor I yous" faster than Oscar Wilde on dexadrine. You'd think it was William F. Buckley playing to a big crowd in the final debate tournament of his senior year at Yale. In what is essentially a four character stage play, the other three main characters in this film all speak as pretentiously, as poetically, and as wittily as Nolte.

I hate that kind of artificial crap.

And you know what? I liked this movie.

Furthermore, the plot is something out of the most contrived 18th century French sex farce. A beautiful young woman wants a child and her aloof, successful husband is un-cooperative. Not to mention a total rearvent. Although it seems obvious that her marriage is completely fucked, her biological clock is ticking, so she vows to have a child by the next guy who walks in the door. A craggy, aging handyman walks in. True to her vow, she seduces him.

He's married, but his marriage is also fucked up, because of something that is revealed gradually, so he starts to get involved with the naive, sweet, beautiful young housewife. Soon his wife and her husband decide to spy on their mates. Needless to say, in the course of spying, the spouses run into one another, and become romantically involved, although Jonny Lee Miller was 25 years old, Julie Christie 56 at the time. They go away for a weekend. Their unfaithful spouses know nothing of it.

I hate that kind of artificial crap as well.

And I don't much care for static, talky four character stage plays, either.

And you know what? I still liked this movie.

I liked it partially because people approached and pulled away from one another in realistic ways. The relationship between Christie and Miller was an especially interesting one to watch. He pursues, she retreats, then she advances, he retreats, etc.

I have hidden some important sub-plots from you so as not to spoil your journey into their psyches, or the resolution of their dilemma. I recommend the film, warts and all. There were times when this damned film irritated the hell out of me, but there was something about it that touched me eventually, and when it reached me, my connection to it lingered.

I guess it was the afterglow.