Friday, December 26, 2014

Movie review - "The Impossible Years" (1968) **

According to William Goldman's brilliant book on Broadway, The Season, the original Broadway play was an acknowledged crappy effort which even its backers didn't like but was propelled to big success via Alan King in the lead role and its subject matter. No one seemed to like this movie version either - and it didn't have Alan King in the lead. Instead it had David Niven, who isn't really well cast. I know Niven was the father of two teenage girls, like his character in the movie, but he doesn't seem at home as a psychiatrist or a father - his persona is more worldly - and the material suits a "cranky, angry stressed out Jew" type that King did so well.

He gives a professional performance though and the daughter, Christine Ferrare, is very good looking, and spends a lot of the movie in tight pants and bikinis. The plot has Niven struggling to control her behaviour and worried about her sex life, being paranoid about all the men who seem to want her (including a hippy painter, and her boyfriend who is seen basically trying to date rape her in a scene played for comedy)... but it's okay because when she does decide to have sex its with a guy she marries... a coworker (MGM contractee Chad Everett).

There's bright colour, some groovy tunes, easy pot shots at the youth of the time, and completely wasted support characters, such as Niven's wife (Lola Albright) and best friend (Ozzie Nelson).


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