My Sweet Charlie (1970)
A pregnant white Southern girl and a black New York lawyer, both on the run in rural Texas, meet up in a boarded-up, abandoned house and realize they both need each other in order to survive.
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Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
Excellent but underrated film
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
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.
Melodramatic and contrived though it may be, this acclaimed television drama about the budding friendship between a temporarily homeless, pregnant white girl and a black man running from the law attempts to do a real service in examining race relations in the late-'60s south. Richard Levinson and William Link adapted David Westheimer's novel (and failed Broadway play) with great care and sensitivity, and the dialogue between these two disparate, desperate characters is often raw and ultimately rewarding. The central situation, however--two luckless people in a resort town closed for the off-season, taking refuge in a lighthouse cottage--is pure hokum. Patty Duke won the Emmy for Outstanding Leading Actress, though her affectation in the early scenes shows her insecurity, not the character's; Al Freeman, Jr.'s angry black lawyer from the north is also tough to swallow, however both performers do improve as the tale unfolds, and the finale is quietly affecting.
I first saw this movie 30 years ago, and it still remains as fresh and timely as when it was made. I have always been a Patty Duke fan, and even if you aren't you should check this out for the acting of both lead actors. A masterpiece!
Very touching. This makes a nice point about prejudice without being preachy. I'd like to show this one to my daughter -- and to kids growing up around racial prejudice... I saw this film over 30 years ago and I still remember the story, acting, etc., as being wonderful. (Watch the trailer!)
Naive, pregnant white teen and black lawyer hide in an abandoned house to escape racial and social prejudice in the 1960's South. Theatrical-quality main performances, solid supporting cast and still-relevant theme. Elements of "In the Heat of the Night" (1967) and "Badlands" (1973). (Rating: A)