JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS

Mary Tyler Moore and Christine Lahti

JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS (1986). Written and directed by Allan Burns. 

Holly (Mary Tyler Moore), who is happily married to seismologist Chip (Ted Danson of Mad Money), becomes fast friends with Sandy (Christine Lahti), a woman she meets at gym class. The two women really bond, but both are unaware that Sandy's new lover is actually Holly's husband; an awkward situation develops when Holly invites Sandy to dinner. Holly is still unaware of the truth when tragedy strikes, but will the revelation of the affair destroy the two women's very real friendship?

Sam Waterston and Ted Danson

Just Between Friends was clearly inspired by the so-called "women's pictures" of the thirties and forties, and is just as clearly inferior to most of them. The death of a major figure undercuts the whole triangle situation, and the film even has the audacity to introduce yet another cliche -- when one of the other characters gets pregnant (guess who?). While initially entertaining, the picture utterly collapses with the pregnancy bit, turns into a bore that will have you longing to hit the fast forward button, and culminates in a sort of "feel good" ending that is completely contrived.  

Lahti and Danson

The acting helps put the whole thing over. Although she occasionally falls back on "Mary Richards" mannerisms from her sitcom (no surprise in that this is a sitcom), Moore is fine as the bushwhacked wife. (One big distraction is the cosmetic surgery that lifted Moore's face but widened her mouth to such a degree that it seems like the biggest maw in creation!) Lahti, whose appearance in this only led to a career on episodic television, is also quite good. Ted Danson is basically Ted Danson. Sam Waterston [Hannah and Her Sisters] does his best as Chip's co-worker and best friend, who cares for Holly and feels guilt over constantly covering for him. One senses Chip is not worthy of either woman. Salome Jens of Seconds is cast as the owner of the gym and Jane Greer makes the least of her role as Holly's mother. There is one nice moment, when Sandy lovingly touches Chip's suit hanging in the closet. 

Verdict: Director Allan Burns should have hired someone besides himself to write the script! **1/2.

MAD MONEY

MAD MONEY (2008). Director: Callie Khouri.

Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton) and her husband Don (Ted Danson) are in financial jeopardy after Don loses his job, so Bridget goes to work on the cleaning crew at the Federal reserve in Kansas City. Bridget importunes Nina (Queen Latifah), whose job is to destroy currency that has been taken out of circulation, to join her in a scheme to steal some of this money with the aid of another employee, the somewhat ditsy Jackie (Katie Holmes). To Bridget's way of thinking, they aren't really stealing anything as the money would just have been burned up. Mad Money has winning performances from the three leading ladies -- Keaton is especially delightful throughout -- Danson, and other cast members and is gleefully immoral as a kind of reaction to the recession, an "easy money" fantasy run amok. Roger Cross is fine as Barry, a co-worker who figures out what the ladies are up to. Entertaining picture with some amusing sequences.

Verdict: Fun if you're not in a demanding mood. ***.

THE ONION FIELD

THE ONION FIELD (1979). Director: Harold Becker

In 1963 hoods Gregory Powell (James Woods) and Jimmy Smith (Franklin Seales) are stopped by cops James Campbell (Ted Danson) and Karl Hettinger (John Savage) but the hoods turn the tables and drive the policemen to an onion field. There Powell kills Campbell, but Hettinger manages to escape. [Hettinger turned over his gun after Powell threatened to shoot Campbell, but one cop theorizes that "only a coward lets a punk get his gun away from him."] The rest of the film details the trial, the emotional aftermath for Hettinger, and so on, but there are too many under-developed characters and except for the moving final scene the film keeps the viewer at a emotional distance. This is not only due to Joseph Wambaugh's unsatisfactory script (based on his book), but Harold Becker's perfunctory direction, and actors who are good but never seem to quite get a handle on their characters. The one exception is Franklin Seales, who is very vivid as the confused, frightened Jimmy. The picture holds the attention at first but meanders and goes into too many different directions without resolution.

Verdict: Disappointing, but some good acting. **1/2.