Cortechba Overrated

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Scuba Girl First of all - enough with the trivializing "oh, of course a woman in this situation would go crazy". Mabel is mentally ill. Mental illness had more of a stigma in 1974 than 40+ years later, yet that doesn't diminish the impact of the movie or accolades of Rowlands' masterful performance. We respect Mabel for who she is - we sympathize with her. The strong performances of Rowland and Falk make for an engrossing film.The camera sits there and lets the scene happen, and what comes out is a gritty, realistic-looking piece of cinematographic history.

MartinHafer I know that among film snobs that the films of John Cassavetes are considered amazing works of art. And, of all of Cassavetes films, this is his most famous because it was nominated for two Academy Awards. Yet, despite this and some very positive reviews, I felt that watching this film was like SLOWLY chewing on broken glass! It was thoroughly unpleasant and seemed to be in need of massive editing. As a play, this might have worked....as a film, I see it as something that the average film viewer couldn't possibly enjoy.The film consists of what appear to almost be home movies that last a very, very long time. The camera work is better than home movies but the graininess of the print and the complete lack of even minor editing made it seem like a movie not yet ready for the movies. There isn't a lot of story. Instead it's full of scenes were Gene Rowlands screams and yells--acting at times like she's mentally ill but at others like she's just a very nasty and occasionally self-destructive person (more like a person diagnosed with a Borderline Personality Disorder than anything else). And, as for her husband (played by Peter Falk), mostly he's impassive...until he blows up and screams at her. If you like this sort of thing as well as knowing that it is an art house favorite, you'll probably enjoy the film. As for me, it was a major chore to finish it.

Gideon24 The late John Cassavetes and his wife, Gena Rowlands were able to carve an impressive niche into cinema history while Cassavetes was still alive, but the zenith of their work together had to be the 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence an explosive and blistering look at mental illness from a perspective that has been rarely explored on screen.Most films dealing with characters with mental issues take place after the diagnosis has been made and the character is either in therapy or has been committed. This film takes a different tack as we meet Mabel, a suburban housewife and mother of 3 played by Rowlands, whose mental issues initially appear to be something as simple as bipolar personality, something that can be dealt with via medication, but it is clear as we see Mabel interact in various social situations, that there are serious mental issues going on here, but for some reason, no one really wants to talk about it. Her husband Nick (Peter Falk) knows there is something wrong, but is still harboring a great deal of denial about it, despite the fact that he absolutely blows up at anyone else even hinting at the fact that there is something wrong with Mabel. There are moments where we see Nick punishing Mabel for behavior she doesn't know how to control for the sake of his own denial and it is heartbreaking to watch. It is also heartbreaking that Mabel is unsure of what's going on but gauges everything through her children....as long as her children love her, she doesn't care what anyone else says. This film is such a troubling watch because we want Mabel to get help and we see the people in her orbit walking on eggshells around her instead of telling her what she needs to hear. It is almost 2/3 of the way into the film before Mabel is actually committed and even sadder is the fact that when she's released, she really doesn't seem any better.Gena Rowlands delivers the most powerful performance of her career as Mabel, a master class in acting that won her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Rowlands is gutsy and unhinged and absolutely riveting in a role that would be any actress' dream. Mabel is warm and sad and frightening. The scenes where she tries to fight Nick's decision to commit her and her eyes literally roll in the back of her head and the scene where she's in the street screaming at strangers in an effort to find out what time it is because she has to meet her kids' school bus are absolutely devastating. The school bus scene is especially powerful because Mabel appears so mentally shredded you're convinced that she isn't even in the right place to meet the bus and you're surprised when the bus actually shows up. Rowlands so completely commands the screen with this performance that during the 30-45 minutes when her character is not screen (when Mabel has been committed), the film comes to a screeching halt.Peter Falk is explosive in an almost Brando-esque turn as Nick, a husband who is at a loss how to help the woman he loves more than life. Falk has rarely been so powerful on screen and mention should also be made of the director's mother, Katherine Cassavetes, who plays Nick's mother.A once in a lifetime cinematic experience thanks to evocative, in-your- face direction, a pair of devastating lead performances, and a story that leaves you with hope and wonder about what happens after the credits roll.

Jackson Booth-Millard From Oscar and Golden Globe nominated director John Cassavetes (Shadows, Faces, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie), I found this film in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I was certainly interested in watching it for this placement, and the leading stars sounded appealing. Basically in Los Angeles, housewife and mother Mabel Longhetti (Golden Globe winning, and Oscar nominated Gena Rowlands) is slowly developing strange mannerisms and her behaviour is becoming increasingly odd, she wants to please her construction worker husband Nick (Peter Falk) who she loves dearly, but he is concerned about the way she is being in the company of other people. He believes she is becoming a threat to other and herself, so he reluctantly has her committed to an institution to undergo six months of mental treatment, but left alone with their three children he seems no better or wiser than his wife, he cannot fulfil the role society expects him to play, and he is changing in the way he relates to and reacts to his offspring. Six months pass and Mabel returns home, but is clear she is still mentally and emotionally strained in doing so, and her husband seems ill prepared for her return also, he at first planned a welcome home party with guests, but at the last minute cancels and send the guests home, knowing that this is foolish. Mostly only close family, including Mabel's parents, Nick's parents, and their three children, go to greet Mabel for her return, but even this is overwhelming for her and for Nick, and the evening becomes another night or torment and anguish as the couple emotionally and psychological argue. During this very bad fight Mabel cuts herself, and following these events the rest of the family leave, she and Nick are left alone to put the children to bed, but they cannot sleep knowing that the distress may mean her leaving again, they profess their love for their mother, she eventually gets them to bed, and the film ends with no real resolution as Mabel and Nick get ready for bed themselves. Also starring Matthew Cassel as Tony Longhetti, Matthew Labyorteaux as Angelo Longhetti, Christina Grisanti as Maria Longhetti, Katherine Cassavetes (John's mother) as Margaret Longhetti, Lady Rowlands (Gena's mother) as Martha Mortensen and Fred Draper as George Mortensen. I can see why Rowlands was nominated the awards, she is pretty convincing as the mentally unstable wife who struggles to keep the family she loves, and Falk is equally good as the husband struggling to cope with his wife's erratic behaviour, it is a simple premise, a wife having a mental breakdown, being sent away for treatment, and returning with no real change, I agree that if the film was judged just by acting it would is fantastic, but being just over two hours it does feel a little too stretched, otherwise it is a most watchable drama. It was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay for John Cassavetes. Very good!