Post by kijii on Jun 4, 2018 1:11:11 GMT
Murphy's Romance (1985) / Martin Ritt
Somehow I had never thought of seeing this mid-80s movie until it was mentioned on this Board under a James Garner Appreciation Thread. Garner did great work throughout his TV career (with multiple Emmys, two top-rated TV series--Maverick and The Rockford Files, and several TV movies) as well as appreciation for his multi-faceted movie career. However, this is the only movie for which he received an Oscar nomination.
It should be noted that Garner was recognized with a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005; was a was a Korean War veteran with 2 Purple Hearts; and he was married only once, his wife survived him after their 58-year marriage.
I found the movie to be a very good, showing both James Garner and Sally Field in their most natural settings and personas. Garner plays a likable but non-pushy single over-middle-aged guy living in a small Arizona town. Field plays a 30-something single mom with a preteen son (Corey Haim) arriving in that town and trying to survive by starting a horse boarding and training stable. The movie situation reminds one a bit of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) or The Goodbye Girl (1977) in terms of the single mom-after-divorce theme, yet it has a feeling all it's own too. There is a friendly but, under-the-surface tension between Garner and Field's divorced husband, played by Brian Kerwin, when The latter arrives on the scene trying to rekindle his old relationship with Field. Field, Garner, and Kerwin almost live as a threesome under one roof as the town gossips about it. Her son loves his dad but also likes Garner. This just can't last forever can it?
Murphy (at his surprise birthday party): My friends have overlooked my shortcomings, seen me through some dark days, and brightened up the rest of them. I'm glad to have them; I'm honored to have them; I'm lucky to have them.
Somehow I had never thought of seeing this mid-80s movie until it was mentioned on this Board under a James Garner Appreciation Thread. Garner did great work throughout his TV career (with multiple Emmys, two top-rated TV series--Maverick and The Rockford Files, and several TV movies) as well as appreciation for his multi-faceted movie career. However, this is the only movie for which he received an Oscar nomination.
It should be noted that Garner was recognized with a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005; was a was a Korean War veteran with 2 Purple Hearts; and he was married only once, his wife survived him after their 58-year marriage.
I found the movie to be a very good, showing both James Garner and Sally Field in their most natural settings and personas. Garner plays a likable but non-pushy single over-middle-aged guy living in a small Arizona town. Field plays a 30-something single mom with a preteen son (Corey Haim) arriving in that town and trying to survive by starting a horse boarding and training stable. The movie situation reminds one a bit of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) or The Goodbye Girl (1977) in terms of the single mom-after-divorce theme, yet it has a feeling all it's own too. There is a friendly but, under-the-surface tension between Garner and Field's divorced husband, played by Brian Kerwin, when The latter arrives on the scene trying to rekindle his old relationship with Field. Field, Garner, and Kerwin almost live as a threesome under one roof as the town gossips about it. Her son loves his dad but also likes Garner. This just can't last forever can it?
Murphy (at his surprise birthday party): My friends have overlooked my shortcomings, seen me through some dark days, and brightened up the rest of them. I'm glad to have them; I'm honored to have them; I'm lucky to have them.
Murphy (Jame Garner) : I'm in love for the last time in my life.
Emma (Sally Field): I'm in love for the first time in my life.
Emma (Sally Field): I'm in love for the first time in my life.
Emma Moriarty (Sally Field) is a 33-year-old, divorced mother who moves to a rural Arizona town to make a living by training and boarding horses. She becomes friends with the town's druggist (pharmacist), Murphy Jones (James Garner), but a romance between them seems unlikely due to Murphy's age and because Emma allows her ex-husband, Bobby Jack Moriarty (Brian Kerwin), to move back in with her and their 12-year-old son, Jake (Corey Haim).
Emma struggles to make ends meet, but is helped by Murphy, an idiosyncratic widower who drives an otherwise immaculate antique automobile decorated with several political bumper slogan stickers Murphy terms his "causes". While refusing to help her outright with charity or personal loan, Murphy buys a horse and pays to board it with Emma, while encouraging others to do the same. He also introduces Emma to the town's local politicians and provides much-needed emotional support for Emma as well as Jake, who is looking for a father figure to emulate. A rivalry soon develops between Murphy and Bobby Jack. This contest of wills continues until a character shows up from Bobby Jack's recent past that surprises everyone, while forcing Murphy and Emma to reevaluate the nature of their relationship.
Emma struggles to make ends meet, but is helped by Murphy, an idiosyncratic widower who drives an otherwise immaculate antique automobile decorated with several political bumper slogan stickers Murphy terms his "causes". While refusing to help her outright with charity or personal loan, Murphy buys a horse and pays to board it with Emma, while encouraging others to do the same. He also introduces Emma to the town's local politicians and provides much-needed emotional support for Emma as well as Jake, who is looking for a father figure to emulate. A rivalry soon develops between Murphy and Bobby Jack. This contest of wills continues until a character shows up from Bobby Jack's recent past that surprises everyone, while forcing Murphy and Emma to reevaluate the nature of their relationship.