Word: maudlinity
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Although the acting and special effects sometimes border on the maudlin, this production of Long Day's Journey Into Night is in general perceptive. We can almost hear the ominous lowing of the foghorn, almost sense the hovering fog which Mary finds so protective: "It hides you from the world and the world from you. You feel everything has changed and nothing is what it seemed to be. No one can find you or touch you anymore." While this play offers no solutions or hopes for this family, it is thought-provoking and, for the most part, a highly depressing...
Whether Newman meant the facile sentiment of the ending to be taken at face value remains unclear. There are some unconvincing maudlin touches towards the end of the story--the son sells a story titled "Harry"; and Harry has a tender romance with a zany phrenologist...
...nice things about plays that explore old friendships is the certainty that things will turn out well in the end. Though most dramas dealing with real life issues couldn't get away with a script comprised heavily of maudlin reminiscences and bittersweet quarreling, plays like Mame and Same Time, Next Year generally manage to leave their audiences feeling tearful and rejuvenated. Something about the unbreakable bond that links old friends seems to draw a smile from even the crustiest cynic...
Though part of the failure of Old Acquaintance lies with the trappings of a trite plot, the crux of the problem is simply poor acting. While some of the dialogue is admittedly maudlin bordering on corny, there is no excuse for butchering classic lines like. "Every man over 21 is another woman's cast off clothing." Moreover, if Weishan wanted to give the show the least bit of credibility, he might have atleast seen to it that teacups were filled with liquid and pipes with tobacco...
During the latter scene, Phoebe is wearing a pair of shapeless sweat-pants, child's baseball cap in bright blue and a particularly loud sweater. The movie does no better with comedy than with romance--scenes that are not maudlin tend to be pathetic. There is a pronounced effort to make the cast look as unappealing as possible, presumably to add a comic touch and to scoff convention. "Who does your wardrobe, Quasimodo?" Jason asks Phoebe in one of his lucid moments...