Word: plot
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...pleasures of this loose, warm, funny movie extend well beyond the plot. Dave has three teen-age cronies (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley), all clearly defined by Writer Tesich and well played by the young actors. The kids' style of hanging out-their scrapes, gags and their frustrations-is observed with a tart affection and a truthfulness that are very refreshing. So is their milieu. The boys are townies, called "cutters," because people of their class have traditionally worked in the nearby limestone quarries in Bloomington, where Indiana University is located. The resentment the cutters feel...
...book has all the style and plot interest of "As the World Turns." Each character has four important episodes--discovering sex in college, getting married, discovering problems with sex in marriage, and having kids. Each also has a quirk, a flaw in her otherwise perfect Radcliffe patina. Emily is neurotic, Daphne has epilepsy, Annabel likes sex and alcohol, and Chris is obsessed with a homosexual. By the time they get back to Cambridge for their reunion, these tiny flaws have created major messes...
Jaffe, it seems, hoped depth of character would make up for lack of direction and action in the plot lines. But each attempt at psychological depth, at developing a character or portraying a crucial moment comes off like so much slop thrown at these cardboard figures to keep the readers interested. Jumping from one woman to another and updating us on their lives requires a lot of fast stepping. Jaffe doesn't turn in much of a performance, however. If you want to see the finale you have to wade through 300 pages of tedium. Expect to be disappointed. There...
...uninspired romantic life, three kids, and professional rivalry--he demolishes him by adding a further dimension of newsreels. Weaving together the large-than-life dramas of actual newsreels with the mundane existence of Maguire and his fictional associates, Noyce creates a rich and engaging tapestry, but the thread of plot is often obscured by detail...
NOYCE'S NOSTALGIA is so wide-eyed and enthusiastic, so genuine, that you can't trash it as easily as Grease or Bye Bye Birdie. If you can suspend your understandable desire for a visible plot, and overlook gaping holes in construction, Newsfront may draw you in. If you're a sucker for nostalgia, stay and see it twice--the second ride, when you know where the bumps are, is easier to take...