The Accidental Tourist
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Actor: Amy Wright, David Ogden Stiers, Geena Davis, Kathleen Turner, William HurtBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
Published: 2004-06-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-01
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Accidental Tourist
DVD Review: A Film that entertains - ultimately Hurt's performance shines
Summary: 4 Stars
When one looks back at the 1980s, one of the great actors has to be considered William Hurt. Back in 1986, he won an Oscar award for "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and also garnered several other Oscar award nominations. 1988 seemed to be Hurt's banner year as he was also nominated for an Oscar for 1987's "Broadcast News". The following year, Hurt also was in another movie that year entitled "The Accidental Tourist". This is a different spin of a male mid-life crisis. His co-star Geena Davis seemed to get most of the accolades, but I think it is Hurt's performance in this film that was the strongest - and perhaps as strong as any role he had taken on to date.
William Hurt plays Macon Leary. Leary is a travel guide writer. The film opens with Macon and his wife Sarah (played by Kathleen Turner who also starred with Hurt in "Body Heat") separating after many years of marriage. Their marriage had broken apart because their 12 year old son had been murdered in a shooting. Following the shooting, Macon had become even more introverted than he usually was - and this is evidenced by his eccentric brothers Porter (played by David Ogden Stiers) and Charles (played by Ed Begely Jr.) as well as his eccentric sister Rose (played by Amy Wright). Sarah moves out and leaves Macon to care for their dog Edward, who is having obedience problems. This is where Macon meets dog-trainer Muriel Pritchett (played by Geena Davis). Muriel is a very forthcoming and outgoing woman who takes a liking to the introverted Macon. Macon is at first very resistant to Muriel, but eventually gets involved with her and takes a liking to her son Alexander. Macon eventually moves in with Muriel and she begins to draw him out of his shell. Muriel eventually starts to push Macon for a commitment and Macon begins to withdraw. Macon and Sarah eventually see each other and Sarah tells him he wants to reconcile putting Macon at a point where he must choose.
There is a very interesting subplot with this movie too. Macon's siblings have a role in the movie too. It seems as though Rose is playing homemaker to the Leary brothers - particularly Porter and Charles. Macon's publisher Julian (played by Bill Pullman) eventually takes a liking to Rose and asks her to marry him. This causes an interesting spin because despite the fact that Rose loves Julian, she still feels the need to take care of her brothers. I really think this was a good subplot and wouldn't have minded this being a more integral part of the movie.
One thing that I thought was a big positive were the settings for the movie. The first 3/4 of the movie was set in the Baltimore, Maryland area while the last part wraps up in Paris, France. This movie shows what a great setting the Baltimore area was. While Macon grew up in suburban Baltimore, Muriel lives in the inner city. The settings seem to work perfectly in contrasting the differences between Macon and Muriel. The way the movie winds up - despite Baltimore being a great setting for the majority of the film, Paris proves to be the better place for the ending
The film does other things to contrast Macon and Muriel. Most notably is the way they dress - Macon is a stodgy. conservative dresser. Meanwhile Muriel is a miniskirt-wearing, trendy dresser. We also see that Muriel wants marriage while Macon is sour on the idea. Yet despite the differences, we see that this couple works well together.
The casting was done very well. I couldn't think of two better people to play the eccentric brothers of Macon Leary than David Ogden Stiers (remember him as Major Winchester from M*A*S*H*?) and Ed Begely Jr. It almost as if these roles were tailor-made for both of these men. Perhaps the most unsung actor in the film though is Bill Pullman. I really enjoyed his role as Macon's publisher Julian. The scene where Edward the dog has Julian up in a tree is a classic. I really wished they gave Julian more screen time. Speaking of Edward the dog - Edward was a real scene stealer. It was disappointing when Edward's role diminishes in the second half of the movie.
As for the performance of Geena Davis - I just didn't get it. I heard so much about this performance for so long. Yet when I saw it - it fell way short of my expectations. Yes she dressed trendy and had this bubbly personality. My reaction - so what? When I looked at Hurt's performance along with Pullman, Ogden Stiers, and Begely Jr, I felt Davis' performance wasn't as strong as the others.
But ultimately it is Hurt who is going to keep this movie moving along. It's kind of funny that Hurt was under 40 years old when he played Macon - he seemed so much older in the movie. Hurt does a great job at blending comedy and drama throughout the movie. One of the most comedic moments of the film occurs when Macon breaks his leg in his basement (with a little help from Edward the dog). Yet, we see a completely serious side to Macon when he shows up at Muriel's door and explains how going out to dinner reminded him of his late son.
I was entertained by the movie, but ultimately I found the ending too predictable - yet satisfying. Because of the many likeable characters throughout the film, I wouldn't have minded a sequel to the film. In fact,the only character I didn't find likeable was Kathleen Turner's role as Sarah. Overall, this is a film that will entertain you from start to finish - highly recommended.
Description of The Accidental Tourist
AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS SON, MACON, A TRAVEL WRITER, SEEMS TO BE SLEEP WALKING THROUGH LIFE. MACON'S WIFE, IS HAVING TROUBLE TOO & THINKS IT WOULD BE BEST IF THE TWO SPLIT UP. AFTER MACON MEETSA STRANGE WOMAN WHO SEEMS TO BRING HIM BACK DOWN TO EARTH,MACON'S WIFE WANTS TO TRY AGAIN.Bestsellers in DVD
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