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"THAT OLD FEELING"
(1997) (Bette Midler, Dennis Farina) (PG-13)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate None Moderate None None
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild None None None Moderate
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Moderate None Mild Mild Mild


QUICK TAKE:
Comedy: A new bride must deal with the fact that her long divorced parents, who until recently have hated each other, are now having an affair -- with each other.
PLOT:
Movie star Lilly Leonard (BETTE MIDLER) and novelist Dan DeMauro (DENNIS FARINA) have been divorced for 15 years and the mere site of each other causes them to instantly argue. Luckily, they haven't recently had the chance. Yet, when their prim and proper daughter, Molly (PAULA MARSHALL), gets engaged to Keith (JAMIE DENTON), a conservative politician running for Congress, the parents are both invited to the wedding. Things start off bad, but suddenly and inexplicably, the two find themselves in each others arms and head off for a romantic fling. Molly and her parents' significant others, socialite Rowena (GAIL O' GRADY) and self-help motivator Alan (DAVID RASCHE), are all equally shocked. Keith thinks this will ruin his political career and they all head off to find the adulterous couple. Molly then hires Joey Donna (DANNY NUCCI), a paparazzo who has trailed Lilly for years, to track down her mom. From that point on, new passions arise as all of the couples' lives intertwine.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Those attracted to a romantic-type comedy or to any of the cast might, but it’s doubtful most children will want to see this.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For language and sex-related material.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • BETTE MIDLER plays a movie star who can't stand paparazzi or her ex-husband and his new wife, but then has an affair with him.
  • DENNIS FARINA plays a novelist who can't stand his ex-wife but ends up having an affair with her.
  • PAULA MARSHALL plays a prim and proper young lady who allows her new husband and his political aspirations to dominate her life and their marriage.
  • DANNY NUCCI plays a tabloid photographer who turns out to be a nice guy when finally given the chance.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    OUR TAKE: 6 out of 10
    This is a film that many people in our preview screening took to right away. I, on the other hand, didn't really "connect" with the film until about a third of the way in, but from that point on I found it to be a rather amusing, and at times, charming film. It's most notable success is casting Dennis Farina against type as the leading romantic man. Normally known for his role as the "heavy" in films such as "Get Shorty," he actually pulls off this transformation and creates a likeable character with a tough guy submerged in his persona. Equally engaging is Danny Nucci (the hardest working "unknown" actor in Hollywood nowadays) who convincingly turns his "sleazy" paparazzo into a likeable, romantic character. Although some characters are rather stereotypical and some scenes are contrived, you'll still root for the budding romance between Molly and Joey mainly because they're right for each other (compared to everyone else in the film). Midler doesn't deliver anything new, but is still as amusing and fun to watch as ever. While this isn't a great film and won't be a blockbuster at the box office, it's the type of movie that grows on you and later ends up as a constant favorite on Saturday afternoon TV. Whether that's really a compliment is questionable, but many films play better as rentals or TV repeats than in the theaters, and this will be one of those. It's not a tremendous movie, but by the end you'll probably find that you had a good time watching it. We give it a 6 out of 10.
    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The biggest topic of concern in this movie relates to the sexual content. While nothing is seen, a lot of activity is implied, including two scenes where movements and sounds strongly suggest what's going on. Nearly everyone has an affair with someone else in the cast, and thus infidelity would be another topic to discuss. There's some drinking, including an implied sexual encounter that occurs due to two characters being drunk. One "f" and 4 "s" words are the worst of the profanity and the moderate rating for bad attitudes comes from the affairs as well as Keith's poor treatment of his new wife. While younger kids probably will not want to see this one, we suggest that you read through the listings in case any of your older children do.

    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • A bottle of champagne is opened in a restaurant.
  • People drink champagne and cocktails at Molly and Keith's wedding reception.
  • Dan asks Lilly why they just had sex. She responds, "Why else? Alcohol."
  • Dan has champagne while in bed with Lilly.
  • Rowena and Keith drink brandy. Later, he takes her home and both appear to be drunk. They drink some more and then end up sleeping together (partially due to being drunk).
  • After Dan wonders whether Joey will never take pictures of Lilly again, Joey responds, "What, are you high?"
  • Alan says that he needs his prozac for his manic depressive disorder.
  • Dan, Lilly, Molly and Joey have cocktails in a hotel bar.
  • Dan and Lilly have drinks in a bar.
  • Lilly says about being back with Dan, "This is the happiest I've been since it was okay to take drugs."
  • Joey orders a drink for Molly in a bar.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • None.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Dan and Lilly have affairs, as do Keith and Rowena.
  • Keith is mean to Molly many times, and he complains that her family will get in the way of his political career. He also puts that career ahead of their marriage. At another time, Molly tells Joey that Keith told her that she "needs to lose a few pounds."
  • A bar's waitresses ignore Joey, because of the way he looks, when he tries to order a drink.
  • Dan and Lilly crash a wedding reception.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • None.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • None.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "I'd like to hard-boil your balls" (testicles), "Sewer rat," "Creep," "Slut," "Lying slut," "Bitch," "Idiot," "Bastard," "Shut up," and "Jerk."
  • Molly and Joey drop fruit and desserts from a hotel balcony to the street below. They do so at first to draw attention to the fact that they're locked in a hotel room, but it soon changes into dropping stuff just for fun.
  • Dan and Lilly lock Molly and Joey inside a hotel room to keep the two from following them.
  • Molly sprays whipping cream directly into her mouth from the can.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • None.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • 1 "f" word (1 more incomplete one and 1 use of "freakin" as a substitute), 4 "s" words, 2 "ass" words, 2 hells, 1 S.O.B., 1 damn, and 8 uses of "Oh God," 3 uses each of "God" and "Oh my God," and 1 use each of "Oh Christ" and "For God's sakes" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • Lilly holds up a skimpy negligee and says to Molly, "How about a wedding night thrill?" Molly responds, "I'm not going to wear that. He'd think I'd charge him."
  • Lilly tells Molly, "You know what your 20's are for? Having sex with all of the wrong people."
  • Lilly refers to Dan "humping Rowena" as a cause for them breaking up.
  • Dan's car rocks back and forth, and moaning sounds from both Dan and Lilly are heard as is the occasional phrase, "Oh yeah," implying that they're having sex.
  • Rowena tells Dan (unaware that he's just had sex with Lilly), "I hope you gave it back to her just as good as she gave it."
  • Dan asks Lilly why they just had sex. She responds, "Why else? Alcohol."
  • Alan is heard mentioning "dogs gnawing at my genitals" while he babbles on in another room.
  • Molly and Keith are in bed kissing on their wedding night. She can't concentrate, however, due to the sounds of her parents next door. Eventually they hear the bed thumping and then banging against the wall, implying that her parents are having sex.
  • We see a very brief glimpse of part of the side of Lilly's bare butt as she pulls on her underwear.
  • Dan walks along in public with his hand firmly planted on Lilly's butt.
  • It's implied that Rowena and Keith have sex (partially due to being drunk), but nothing is seen other than them waking up together. They then argue about the sex. After she comments that it wasn't great for her, he responds, "I told you I have to be on the bottom. I have a bad back." She replies, "Among other things."
  • Molly finds out that she was a "love child," meaning she was illegitimate.
  • Lilly enters the hotel room that she locked Molly and Joey in. Seeing them not sleeping together, she says, "I see no one got lucky."
  • Lilly asks Molly if she and Keith finally consummated their marriage ("Did you do it?"). Molly replies, "I'd like to do it when my mom's not in the next room."
  • SMOKING
  • None.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Molly's parents are divorced and still argue whenever they see each other.
  • Although they're newlyweds, Molly and Keith have several fights and eventually split up.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Family relationships.
  • Infidelity.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Lilly hits Joey with her purse and then lightly kicks him while he's on the floor.
  • Dan threatens another man, "Shut up or I'll kill you."
  • During a verbal fight, Lilly tries to strangle Dan, but he wards off her attack and then picks her up and squeezes her with her arms behind her back. He ends up pinning her to the hood of a car, but they then suddenly kiss.
  • Rowena slaps Alan on the back of head and tells him, "Shut up," after he continues to neurotically babble.
  • There is some talk about Dan's novels and the fact that in every one of them, the actress/wife is killed, including one where a character is "stabbed twenty-seven times in the neck."
  • Dan grabs Joey by the throat after he thinks he's going to take more photos. He then pushes Joey against the wall and lightly bangs his head against the wall.
  • Dan and Lilly push Joey to and across the floor after he tries to stop them from arguing.



  • Reviewed March 13, 1997

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