SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
Usamah Harvey
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Brenda
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
wes-connors
In 1925 Texas, lanky farmer Anthony Perkins (as Gid Fry) and chubby chum Beau Bridges (as Johnny McCloud) both want to marry beautiful free-spirited Blythe Danner (as Molly Taylor). The trio crawl in and out of each other's beds for nearly forty years. If you don't believe this can get unexciting, just watch them from beginning to end. The three leads often seem intentionally made-up to look unattractive; however, Ms. Danner has a memorable nude scene in the early running...You wouldn't know to look at it, but "Lovin' Molly" stemmed from a story by "The Last Picture Show" (1971) writer Larry McMurtry and was helmed by "Network" (1976) director Sidney Lumet. Dramatic television veteran Edward Binns plays Perkins' crotchety father. Watch for a couple of (then) daytime television stars in small, featured roles...Future big-league actress and "Rocky Horror" participant Susan Sarandon plays Mr. Perkins' neglected other woman, and Conard Fowkes (as Eddie) is a third man involved with Danner. A "flashback" scene with Mr. Fowkes reveals he has more "chemistry" with Danner than either of her leading men. Those familiar with his "Dark Shadows" role as the New England lawyer who helped Victoria Winters find Laura Collins' coffin will realize Fowkes' is the film's outstanding performance.**** Lovin' Molly (4/14/74) Sidney Lumet ~ Anthony Perkins, Beau Bridges, Blythe Danner, Conard Fowkes
vchimpanzee
Molly was probably a likable character, and I got the impression Blythe Danner was giving a good performance. But somehow this movie never registered with me. I did like the old-time music (Ralph Stanley wouldn't want me to call it bluegrass) and the big-band music used in one scene in the 1940s.My biggest problem was that I could never remember which of the male characters were which (and apparently Molly had the same problem seeing as how she couldn't make up her mind which one to like), and even though I like Beau Bridges, I never saw any of the men as resembling him until the 1960s.This was probably a good movie to those who like novels such as 'Wuthering Heights'.
kid-8
It's seems clear that Sidney Lumet was unfamiliar with the setting, the characters, the story...I mean, Gid is a cowboy wearing OVERALLS--Gid's NOT a farmer! He was afraid of Texas, and moved back east to New Jersey to shoot the remainder of the film--no wonder the film looks like a TV movie. It should have been directed by someone else, someone who understood the place, and written by a screenwriter who understood the characters and story, like McMurtry himself, perhaps??? Maybe someday it will be re-done, and done justly. It's a moving and complex story, one that deserves to be told in the affecting way it's written. Eastwood as director? It spans a 45-year period, and though challenging, with the appropriate writer and director and actors would make for a timeless, memorable film.
scrutiny
Coming on the heels of The Last Picture Show, this Larry McMurtry adaptation must've sounded like a sure thing with the likes of Beau Bridges, Anthony Perkins, and Blythe Danner before the cameras and the great Sidney Lumet behind but ultimately this film is a case of too much too soon. This story, which resembles last year's The Hi-Lo Country, could've been much more interesting in the hands of others. Bridges and Danner give their acting chops a good exercise but it's a case of bringing on newcomers before their time while Perkins is just miscast period. Even Lumet shows he's in unfamiliar territory by shooting the outdoor sequences in a flat, TV movie fashion while keeping the performances more in tune with the melodramatic films of yesteryear instead of being true to the times in which the film was made. Imagine what Sam Peckinpah or Martin Ritt could've done with the material. Neither being completely horrible or forgivably worthwhile, Lovin' Molly will remain an interesting footnote in the careers of all involved.
