Certainly people fight in marriages and say the wrong things, but when someone gets injured, it becomes an issue. For housewives Sally Struthers, dealing with sometimes volatile husband Dennis Weaver has infrequently lead to injuries, and as his business dealings (ironically involving Larry Hagman, later of "Dallas"), he's quite a character going to get worse until she ends up in the hospital.
This TV movie reminds me of the "Designing Women" episode "The Rowdy Girls" where the husband's explosions lead to apologies yet recurring incidents that just gets worse and worse. Fortunately Struthers has a sounding board with old best friend Tyne Daly who offers her strong support and even confronts Weaver. But promises of changing don't always mean that will actually happen, and eventually, things are forced to a head.
Good performances all around doesn't help the fact that you feel like you are looking in someone's curtains, and the feeling of uncomfortable truths make this a difficult movie to watch without getting despondent. Weaver certainly has his issues, and that includes some with his own father played by the legendary Melvin Douglas, but the confrontation scenes with Struthers has a tone that will have the audience painfully cringing. He's not a completely evil man or monster, but one who definitely needs to take a step back and look at himself, and it will take a lot of paying for Struthers to finally stand up to him.
I've never seen so many legendary TV stars from hit shows together in one movie, and it's interesting to see "Dallas" star Hagman working for Aaron Spelling and the writers of "Dynasty". This is where Gloria Bunker Stivick is married to McLoud and advised by future TV cop Cagney. I certainly think you have to be in the right mood to see this as it is the type of film that could project a lot of emotions, some not so positive. This is definitely one of those films where viewer discretion is advised, even for the adults.
This TV movie reminds me of the "Designing Women" episode "The Rowdy Girls" where the husband's explosions lead to apologies yet recurring incidents that just gets worse and worse. Fortunately Struthers has a sounding board with old best friend Tyne Daly who offers her strong support and even confronts Weaver. But promises of changing don't always mean that will actually happen, and eventually, things are forced to a head.
Good performances all around doesn't help the fact that you feel like you are looking in someone's curtains, and the feeling of uncomfortable truths make this a difficult movie to watch without getting despondent. Weaver certainly has his issues, and that includes some with his own father played by the legendary Melvin Douglas, but the confrontation scenes with Struthers has a tone that will have the audience painfully cringing. He's not a completely evil man or monster, but one who definitely needs to take a step back and look at himself, and it will take a lot of paying for Struthers to finally stand up to him.
I've never seen so many legendary TV stars from hit shows together in one movie, and it's interesting to see "Dallas" star Hagman working for Aaron Spelling and the writers of "Dynasty". This is where Gloria Bunker Stivick is married to McLoud and advised by future TV cop Cagney. I certainly think you have to be in the right mood to see this as it is the type of film that could project a lot of emotions, some not so positive. This is definitely one of those films where viewer discretion is advised, even for the adults.