Always

Movie Review: Always

Year of Release: 1989
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, Brad Johnson, John Goodman, Audrey Hepburn

Plot outline: A downed pilot plays celestial wingman to his successor in love and flying (IMDb).

The storyline to Always does share a couple of tenuous similarities to Ghost but is by no means of the word in the same league because it just basically isn't very exciting. That is its biggest problem it lacks the impetuous needed to keep you watching rather than drifting off to sleep. The storyline about Pete returning as a ghost to miraculously guide those left on earth is not new and instead of adding anything to spice it up seems happy to drift along delivering scenes which feel lacking and slightly cliche. I am not saying that the storyline is terrible; in fact it is sentimentally sweet and well structured with a natural flow. It's just distinctly unmemorable and although a couple of humorous moments and a cameo from the delightful Audrey Hepburn may stick in your mind I doubt that the storyline will. As for the performances from the star names well like the movie they feel slightly low level but adequate. Richard Dreyfuss who is a slightly strange choice as a heroic fire-fighting pilot, although the role was offered to Tom Cruise, manages to put in an adequate performance as Pete Sandich, with some moments which feature Dreyfuss's ability with wise cracking humour. Alongside Dreyfuss is John Goodman who gets to goofs it up as his best friend Al, with moments of comedy which could have come straight out of a Tom & Jerry cartoon. Probably the best performance comes from Holly Hunter as Pete's love interest, Dorinda, a mixture of tomboy but with a girlie inside. Also making nice appearances are Brad Johnson and the divine Audrey Hepburn in what was to be her last movie, although the latter is massively under used. To be honest, there are no real problems with any of the performances in Always, the problems arise from the characters themselves, they are just too boring. This makes the movie feel a little flat, as all the characters merge with no real differentiation between them. It's not a terrible movie but with stars such as Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, John Goodman and Steven Spielberg directing you couldn't be blamed for expecting something more. (AW)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars