FALLING IN LOVE. Directed by Ulu Grosbard; written by Michael Cristofer; produced by Marvin Worth for Paramount. Starring Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro. Rated PG-13 (subject matter).
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Falling in Love has one socially redeeming feature, if no other. It presents a pretty powerful warning against last-minute Christmas shopping. Believe me, you won't catch me in any bookstores on Christmas Eve! Not after seeing what this does for the characters here.
Frank (De Niro) and Molly (Streep) occasionally take the same commuter train into New York from equally fashionable upstate suburbs. But they first meet on that ill-fated shopping trip, when a collision and dropped packages result in an unnoticed exchange of presents.
Then gradually, in spite of their better instincts, the two fall in love. In a refreshing departure from the usual movie about infidelity, they agonize over their emotions and try (although ultimately not too hard) to deflect them. But romance wins out.
I suppose I should be more specific. The idea of married people feeling guilty about sexual feeling for someone else is refreshing, when movie lovers usually leap into bed first and ask questions later. But in the execution of this idea, Frank and Molly aren't the only ones in agony. The audience is, too.
The pace of Falling in Love is much too slow, but more compelling characters could perhaps have kept interest up in spite of this. As it is, these lovers are supremely non-interesting.
No one has to be told that Streep and De Niro are fine actors. But instead of creating memorable characters within a good story, the way they usually do, here they merely show off. They seem to forget that the best performances are those which seem not to be "acted" at all.
Falling in Love 's problems don't end here, though. It makes sense to have sympathy for two people trapped in terrible, or even just bad, marriages. But both spouses here, especially Frank's wife (Jane Kaczmarek), seem amiable enough.
If the moviemakers intended to give the lovers motivation to seek affection elsewhere, they didn't succeed. And without such motivation, my sympathies are with the abandoned families, not with Molly and Frank.
They couldn't even get the rating right. The subject matter is adult, alright. But no more so than most T.V. situation comedies. There is the barest smattering of vulgar language, and no skin. So I can only conclude the PG-13 is meant as a come-on.
There are some entertaining moments in Falling in Love, such as a pair of independent phone calls in which Frank and Molly seem to answer each other's questions. And a (presumably) unintentional bit of humor stems from these New Yorkers' constantly referring to Houston (where Frank is to be transferred) as "out there"—somewhere beyond the orbit of Jupiter, no doubt.
But a couple of laughs aren't nearly enough to recommend this movie. Wait for one of these fine actors' other movies to show up on T.V. again and you'll be much better off.
December 5, 1984