Word: melodrama
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...Jacquelyn Mitchard's novel. In a crowded hotel lobby, she leaves little Ben in the care of his seven-year-old brother for a few minutes, and when she returns he has wandered off--or fallen off the end of the earth. A kidnapping scenario has the makings of melodrama or piety, but this carefully complex movie, directed by Ulu Grosbard, finds urgency in more ambiguous family vectors...
...after the melodrama, after the white devil disappears offstage, snarling like Cagney, a scruple (call it A.C.L.U. logic, a schoolmarm in the mind) begins to wave its little hand in the back of the hall. Easy cases make bad law, or bad principle. The powerful emotional sway of this one is unsettling...
...tonight, which makes greater demands on the soloist in terms of smoothness and tone. In rehearsal only the first two movements were heard, apparently because of Yannatos' temper, but two were enough to show Castelli at the top of her game. Awesome voicing, awesome dynamic range, and some Heifitzian melodrama suggest a Sibelius not to be missed. For those inclined to adduce parallels, note the resemblance between the second movement of the Sibelius and the refrain of the Gershwin song...
...writing style is lovely and unpretentious, and her dramatic encounters are fraught with intelligent psychological insights. While Joey Becker may lack the complexity of, for example, Madame Bovary (although parallels between the two women undeniably exist), overall she is a very well-developed character. Ultimately the juxtaposition of melodrama and intellect give her work the air of a very sophisticated soap opera...
...result from a menagerie of seemingly unrelated stories and effectively compensates with the introduction. Unfortunately, this only keeps the knotted plot untangled momentarily, as you quickly become mired in the intrinsic flaws associated with staggered storytelling. Playing by Heart has a great cast and some potential, but the sappy melodrama and scarcity of truly humorous moments leave much to be desired. This is one Valentine's Day dud that deserved to flop...