I'm not a Joanne Woodward fan, so why did I sit through the pointless, depressing Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams? Because I'm a Martin Balsam fan, and I'd heard he did a very good job in the drama. He did, but I still didn't enjoy watching it. He played Joanne's husband, but since the bulk of the movie was about her emotional problems, he definitely took a backseat until the final section when they take a vacation to Italy together. Then he turned into Martini Balsamic and stole the show - just kidding. Although he did have an unexpected (and never before seen in his career) love scene, where he tried to seduce his wife. Joanne's response was hurtful, she pushed him off her and said he was cutting off her circulation.
Joanne starts the movie hating her life. She doesn't like her husband, she misses her adult son, she fights with her teenage daughter, and she feels intense frustration and resentment towards her mother. Both she and Sylvia Sidney were nominated for Oscars that year, but Sylvia is only in the movie for about ten minutes. It is an amusing sequence for mothers and daughters to watch, as they spar off each other and get irritated at quirks and patterns. But then Sylvia has a heart attack and dies, and Joanne basically complains, hallucinates, and yells for the rest of the duration. Since I normally can't stand her, it's no wonder why I didn't like this movie. She'd have to play someone extremely likable for me to appreciate her performance, like in her first movie Count Three and Pray. Since this movie was nothing like that cute western flick, I wouldn't recommend it unless you feel differently about her than I do.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. Joanne's dream sequences are filmed in canted angles, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
Joanne starts the movie hating her life. She doesn't like her husband, she misses her adult son, she fights with her teenage daughter, and she feels intense frustration and resentment towards her mother. Both she and Sylvia Sidney were nominated for Oscars that year, but Sylvia is only in the movie for about ten minutes. It is an amusing sequence for mothers and daughters to watch, as they spar off each other and get irritated at quirks and patterns. But then Sylvia has a heart attack and dies, and Joanne basically complains, hallucinates, and yells for the rest of the duration. Since I normally can't stand her, it's no wonder why I didn't like this movie. She'd have to play someone extremely likable for me to appreciate her performance, like in her first movie Count Three and Pray. Since this movie was nothing like that cute western flick, I wouldn't recommend it unless you feel differently about her than I do.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. Joanne's dream sequences are filmed in canted angles, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"