Men Don't Leave (1990)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Released in early 1990 and directed by Paul Brickman, "Men Don't Leave" is a drama with comedic elements about a mother (Jessica Lange) and two sons who lose their husband/father and must move to Baltimore to make it and overcome their grief. Chris O'Donnell plays the teenage son while Joan Cusack appears as his older girlfriend, an x-ray technician. Arliss Howard is on hand as a potential beau for the mother, a musician. Kathy Bates plays her new boss, the manager of a gourmet bakery.This movie's tragic, odd, dramatic, funny and inspirational, just like life. It respects the intelligence of the viewer as everything's not always spelled out. Roger Ebert complained about the predictability of the mother's meet-cute with the musician, which may be true, but he overlooked the many UNpredictable and offbeat elements of the movie, like the teen's relationship with the medical technician and her interesting relationship arc with the mother. He also complained about the film's depiction of clinical depression and its supposedly trite antidote, but – speaking as someone who suffered severe depression in the past; and overcame it without "meds" – this simply isn't true. Both the depiction and the remedy are real-to-life; the portrayal is sad with some realistic humor and inspiration thrown into the mix. What did he want? Her to take a pill and everything would be hunky-dory? The best thing for a person who's suffering depression is to get them out of the darkness of the bedroom and into the light of day; get them talking; give them something active to DO; and help them set some realistic goals that they can immediately start working toward, not to mention encourage some close, positive relationships, and discourage negative ones. The movie effectively shows this. The film runs 115 minutes and was shot in Baltimore, Maryland, and Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor, Illinois.GRADE: B-

I have not seen the 1981 French film, La Vie Continue, which inspired this story, but thank goodness it did. This is one of the best cinematic hidden gems off all time. No, that is not an understatement. Seventeen years after being one of the few to see this film in a theater, I was fortunate enough to locate a VHS copy and have found that this it has aged perfectly. Bittersweet without being cloying, evenly-paced without dragging, it is the perfect antidote to the summer blockbuster season for those who don't necessarily consider "pulsating" a selling-point for a film.Jessica Lange once said in an interview that many people have told her this is their favorite film of hers. (She sums it up as "a happy movie about grief and depression.") She's great in it, as is a scene-stealing Joan Cusack and Charlie Korsmo as her younger son. But also given a chance to shine are the minor characters, some oddball musicians Lange's character meets and a then-unknown (but about to be known) Kathy Bates. (Credit also goes to screenwriter Barbara Benedek for their well crafted words.)This film has aged much better than Paul Brickman's only other directorial effort, Risky Business. One would never think the director of THAT could come up with a polar opposite like this, but fortunately he did. The fact that this is not on DVD is CRIMINAL!

Pulls out most of the stops in going for the pathos. Young (and beautiful) wife and mother--Lange--tries to hold herself and her family together after the tragic death of her husband. She falls apart but is saved through the redeeming power of love shown by those around her.Supporting cast is wonderful.

This movie is carried by a great ensemble cast that gets better with repeated viewings. Jessica Lange and Joan Cusack and Kathy Bates are strong by first viewing. But you kind of get used to bratty Chris O'Donnel by second or third viewing. At least closer than any of his other lame performances. Oh and other guys are strong enough to compete with the women like Arliss Howard whose just fabulous with the likability quotient. Yeah, yeah it's predictable, there's no denying that. And the third act is probably the worst part of the movie, but the dialogue and acting is great and real sneaky at making you laugh and wince at the parts that seem like their set up to press the audience's buttons for hanky-grabbing at JUST the right second. But it's forgiven, merely because it isn't schmaltzy or cheesy, but a surprisingly good sleeper of a movie. Oh, but the similar ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE is better in my opinion. Though I'll follow Jessica Lange (why does she always have fingers over her lips?) over Ellen Burstyn any day of the week.