It’s fitting that Passion Fish
focuses on the life of a former soap star, as the movie itself often threatens
to dive head first into the very melodrama playing out on the screens in the
background. Thankfully, it never does. But it’s also a reminder that a soap
opera without melodrama isn’t exactly a thrill.
Of course, Passions Fish doesn’t have thrills on its mind. Best to pour a glass of lemonade – or
bourbon, have a seat and enjoy the Louisiana sunshine. To call this movie
leisurely paced is generous. Sometimes I felt trapped in the chair with
May-Alice. We get a parade of visitors to break up the monotony, but by the
end, I was dreading the prospect of any more callers. Leave May-Alice alone so
this thing can just end!
Okay, that’s disingenuous. Its not like
this movie wasn’t good. It’s just long. And it crawls, so you feel every
minute. Once I settled in, I came to appreciate the local color the movie
offers, to bask in the culture – the long river rides, the dancing, the
bugs. But I’m also not looking for a travel documentary. Okay, okay, enough
harping!
Sure, the picaresque structure grew
tired for me, but the people we meet along the way were never less than
fantastically drawn. Writer and Director John Sayles has a real knack for bringing
characters to life. In particular, I enjoyed the Colonel Sanders relative that
stops in for a few drinks. Not white wine, not to his taste, I’m afraid,
but he’ll ferret out any bourbon in the area! Like a bourbon truffle dog.
His scene’s a good example of that
teetering melodrama. I kept expecting him to have some kind of ulterior motive.
And maybe he did. But we never saw it. And he just disappears from the story.
Same with May-Alice’s actress friends. I thought we were in for some big blow
up, but, no, just a weird space alien monologue. Really wonderful character work all around.
And we haven’t even discussed our leads.
Mary MacDonnell and Alfre Woodard
crush their roles as May-Alice and Chantelle. Okay, yeah, crushed is the wrong
word. But I like the idea of describing anything in this movie with the word
“crush”. Sayles fucking crushes it with
Passion Fish! Woodard fucking destroys
this intricate character portrait! MacDonnell’s subtly and depth fucking kills!
I’m done. But, really, I appreciate
the way Sayles trusts us to watch the story unfold. The character reveals -
the shades of depth they add - pile on with such slow assurance. It’s like a
master class in how to make characters into real people. I feel like even the
clerk at the supermarket leads a full, rich, Louisiana life.
When people talk about the death of
adult dramas, they’re talking about this movie. Or story-driven porn, I guess.
Depends on who you’re talking to. And even though this isn’t my favorite movie,
I’d be on board for more like them. Something tells me we’ll run into quite a
few of them on this adventure. And a little peek ahead tells me we’ll be
seeing Sayles again down the road.
Sayles is a guy who’s been on my
radar for a while now. He’s a pretty big figure in independent cinema, yet imdb
tells me I’ve never seen any of his movies. Even the most likely candidate, The
Howling, remains unseen. Obviously, that one’s on me. How have I missed a Joe Dante werewolf movie? But after this, I’m
intrigued to look through his filmography. And even more intrigued, because
while I’d never seen his films, I was unknowingly familiar with his work. Which leads to my favorite Passion Fish
related fact --
This is the man who directed a
handful of sweet, goofy Born in the USA music videos! The Boss hurling a
baseball? The Boss creepily fixing a babe’s car then stalking her? Sayles is
responsible. He’s the best. I’m now a fan for life.
Couple things I wanna cover before
I wrap up – why is the beginning of this movie loaded with cornball guitar
riffs? Even for the time, they had to be silly. And they’re wildly out of
place. I propose a Passion Fish drinking
game -- Take a shot every time Eddie Van Halen inexplicably scores this Oscar
caliber drama!
Finally, about halfway through, it occurred
to me that this movie would work much better as a TV show. It’s already paced
like one. The character work is stellar. It even ends like a great episode of
TV. We’re here, we’re changed, but we’re gonna keep moving. None of the story
threads really wrapped. And, in hour chunks, I’d enjoy exploring the town and
culture more. It just feels like an HBO show. And I imagine if it were written
today, that’s exactly where we’d see this movie. Well, some people would see
it. I’d wait for the reviews. Maybe binge watch it before the Emmys.
All in, not my favorite of the
bunch. I’m glad we watched it though, because this, and movies like it are
almost never something I sit down to watch. But there’s a lot to learn here.
And plenty to like.
1.
Husbands and Wives
2.
Lorenzo’s Oil
3.
Passion Fish
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