Cast: Cher, Chazz Palminteri, Ryan O’Neal, Paul Mazursky
Director: Paul Mazursky
Screenplay: Chazz Palminteri, based on his play
Running Time: 89 minutes
Grade: C

First question: why does anyone let Ryan O’Neal act in their movies anymore? And, not only let him in, but give him a starring role. He’s at best a has-been, though many would consider him a never-was. Anyway, he ruined any chance this movie might have had in my mind.

The setup is about the most interesting thing the film has going for it. A couple, Margaret O’Donnell (Cher) and her husband Jack (Ryan O’Neal) are celebrating their 20th anniversary. They’ve each got a little surprise for the other, though. The movie is based on Palminteri’s play, where it may have worked better than on the big screen.

Tony (Chazz Palminteri) shows up at the couple’s mansion, claiming that someone—he believes it’s the husband, Jack—has hired him to kill Maggie. Tony has problems: he constantly has to stop and talk to his psychiatrist—played adequately by director Paul Mazursky—over the phone. It’s no surprise that the emotionally confused hit-man is the strongest character: Mr. Palminteri wrote the film, after all, and saves the juiciest lines for himself.

There are some very good moments, reminiscent of the film SLEUTH, when the audience doesn’t know which way things are going to go, or if everyone is really who they claim to be. These moments, however, are not enough to save the film. There are numerous plot holes, and quite a few developments that make little or no sense, once the denouement comes. For instance, why are there no servants? This really bothered me. The O’Donnell’s live in a huge mansion, own a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce, and yet he makes his own breakfast, and she does her own shopping.

It also bothered me that the characters would switch between being clever and being stupid from scene to scene. I just didn’t see any consistent characterizations; transformations came at will, with no justification. Contrast this with SLEUTH. In that film, Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier are both extremely clever, and continually outmaneuver each other. Here, the characters mostly seem to fumble over one another, except for a few times when they act intelligently.

The bright spots of the film—Mr. Palminteri’s performance, some of the dialogue, and the set-up—are not enough, ultimately, to save the film. I grade it a mediocre C.