Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 12, 1995 TAG: 9508150100
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
From the unfocused opening shots of grapes on the vine, with Maurice Jarre's lush score oozing over them like sweet cherry syrup, it's obvious that director Alfonzo Arau will do anything to tug at his audience's heartstrings. It's also obvious that the toughness and passion that made Arau's "Like Water for Chocolate" such a hit are absent.
What the story lacks in substance, Arau tries to make up for with style and the most polished Hollywood production values that money can buy. The entire film is bathed in soft golden light so flattering that even tractors shimmer within it. Every shot looks like a postcard: posed, pretty and - shallow.
The story begins at the end of World War II with Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves) arriving back home in San Francisco. His floozy wife (Debra Messing), the result of one wild weekend years before, is a stranger. But Paul, kind-hearted soul that he is, vows to make their marriage work and returns to his job as a traveling chocolate salesman.
On the train to Sacramento, he meets the lovely Victoria (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) when she throws up on his uniform. Before long, she's telling him the sad story of her life - how she was seduced and abandoned by a college professor. Now pregnant, she must confess to her father (Giancarlo Giannini), who will be enraged at the shame she has brought on the family. Paul volunteers to pose as her husband for one day and accompanies her to the family home in a Napa vineyard.
As predicted, Dad flies into a scenery-chewing rage, but Grandpa (Anthony Quinn) is more understanding.
The only surprises in the rest of the story - credited to three writers and based on a 1942 Italian film - come from its lack of complexity. The resolution of Paul's marital situation is particularly glib and superficial. The big scenes are so oddly staged that they call attention to themselves. Crushing the grapes turns into a Busby Berkeley number. When frost threatens the vineyard and the characters wave big translucent fans, they look for all the world like would-be angels in search of a Christmas pageant. The effect is comic, not touching.
As for the acting, Keanu Reeves' limitations have not been so apparent since he was miscast in "Much Ado About Nothing." But his material here is so weak that it's hard to be too critical. Aitana Sanchez-Gijon is strikingly attractive in a one-dimensional role. Giannini and Quinn are actually more effective than the leads.
Those already disposed to shameless romanticism may find something to like in this mound of mush, maybe even a lot to like. For everyone else, though, a series of airbrushed images and a simpleminded story won't add up to a real movie.
A Walk in the Clouds *
A 20th Century Fox release playing at the Salem Valley 8 and Tanglewood Mall. 103 min. Rated PG-13 for subject matter, some strong language, mild violence.
by CNB