Thursday, November 11, 2021

A Month by the Lake (1995)

IMDb plot summary: At a Lake Como resort, Miss Bentley, an attractive older guest, meets a handsome, well-to-do bachelor. But when he's more interested in a beautiful young flirt, the mischievous Miss Bentley goes to outrageous lengths to reel in her catch.
Directed by John Irvin. Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox, Uma Thurman, and Alida Valli.

The biggest problem this movie faces is that while it’s tremendously easy to root for Redgrave, it’s nearly impossible to root for Fox. He comes across as petulant, entitled, misogynistic, and perpetually in need of having his ego soothed. Watching Redgrave run circles around herself trying to salvage his pride is deeply painful and greatly detracts from the “summer by the sea” charm the movie is clearly trying to evoke. The landscape does look beautiful and relaxing, and it’d be so easy to settle into it if the movie kicked Fox’s character out entirely and focused on Redgrave enjoying her time there. But for now, I’d recommend A Room with a View or Enchanted April in a heartbeat over this muddled romance.

How it entered my Flickchart:
A Month by the Lake < Hustle & Flow
A Month by the Lake > The Shaggy Dog (1959)
A Month by the Lake < Ghost Ship
A Month by the Lake < Independence Day
A Month by the Lake > Sex Tape
A Month by the Lake < Monster
A Month by the Lake < Baby Boom
A Month by the Lake > The Da Vinci Code
A Month by the Lake < The 5th Wave
A Month by the Lake < Red River
A Month by the Lake > Side Effects
A Month by the Lake > The Devil's Brigade
Final spot: #2472 out of 3463, or 29%.

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