Ali MacGraw | Scott's Film Reviews-1,425 + Reviews posted so far!!!

Love Story-1970

Director Arthur Hiller

Starring Ryan O’Neal, Ali MacGraw

Scott’s Review #950

Reviewed October 23, 2019

Grade: B+

Love Story (1970) was an enormous blockbuster hit at the time of release with two good-looking stars of the day immersed in a tragic romance. Almost fifty years later the story feels contrived and watered down with a “been there seen that” result.

While reviewing the film one must be mindful of the period in which the film was made (before similar films hit the circuit) and the chemistry between the leads holds up quite well.

Perhaps the film works best having seen it decades ago as it now feels dated.

Handsome Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O’Neal) is a star ice hockey player attending Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is heir to the wealthy Barrett family led by father Oliver Barrett III (Ray Milland).

While at school he meets the blue-collar Jenny Cavilleri (Ali MacGraw), who attends neighboring Radcliffe College and studies classical music. The couple falls madly in love becoming inseparable.

Oliver is met with anger after he proposes to Jenny, She accepts, and they travel to the Barrett mansion so that she can meet Oliver’s parents. They are judgmental and unimpressed with her thinking she is nice, but hardly a companion for their son.

Later Oliver’s father tells him that he will cut him off financially if he marries Jenny. After graduation, Oliver and Jenny marry nonetheless and begin a life of financial struggle but filled with happiness. When they attempt to conceive they learn that Jenny is terminally ill and has weeks to live.

The prime appeal of the film is the romance between Oliver and Jenny which feels primal and honest. They are the cliched rich boy and poor girl equation but in this film the dynamic works.

O’Neal and MacGraw are good-looking and were on the cusp of Hollywood A-list classification so the stars aligned in the casting. They ebb and flow at the beginning of the film with Jenny’s sarcasm and Oliver’s quiet arrogance, but there is never a doubt the pair will fall madly in love and we, the audience, are hooked from the start.

On an atmospheric level, the icy northeastern climate and the myriad of exterior scenes throughout Massachusetts give the film a proper ambiance.

For anyone who has studied at a university in this area or has an interest, the film succeeds, and it adds a robust flavor to the surrounding events. The youthful wonder and the promise of a bright future are of paramount importance to the story being told and the foreshadowing is effective.

The film lacks guts in the pacing area though. Most of Love Story is spent focusing on the newness of Oliver and Jenny’s romance and their hurdles surrounding family members and a brief nod to class and societal roles.

At a brief one hour and thirty-five minutes, there is very little time left for the shocking turn of events surrounding Jenny’s illness. Coming out of nowhere, the character is alive and well, has a brief fainting spell, and is then seen lying on a gurney before dying off-screen.

There is no bedside death scene, no suffering or deteriorating health, and the entire tragedy is glossed over. Hence the title, the focus is on the “love story” but this seems like a scam.

So much is invested in the couple that the loss seems skimmed over. How can one die from leukemia (blood cancer) within a few days anyway?

The filmmaker’s clear attempts at playing it safe are at the expense of the overall film experience.

Love Story (1970) deserves praise for being one of the first of its kind- the romantic tearjerker. The genre would soon become soaked with imitators so cliched that they bring the original down a notch because it now feels trite.

The ‘chick flick’ contains good acting and nice scenery but lacks the emotional depth I was hoping for. Melodramatic to a fault the appeal of the leads surges the overall effort way more than it should.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Arthur Hiller, Best Actor-Ryan O’Neal, Best Actress-Ali MacGraw, Best Supporting Actor-John Marley, Best Story or Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced, Best Original Score (won)

The Getaway-1972

Director Sam Peckinpah

Starring Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw

Scott’s Review #439

Reviewed July 3, 2016

Grade: A-

The Getaway (1972) is a classic action film by director Sam Peckinpah- known for works such as Straw Dogs and The Wild Bunch.

His films are known as “guy films” and a rather violent experience. The Getaway is no exception, though it is not immensely brutal either. Still, there are more than one macabre scene and one dastardly villain.

For fans of Peckinpah, The Getaway is a must-see.

The film features Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw perfectly cast as lovers Doc and Carol McCoy. Inescapable is their chemistry, and art mirrored life as the two were embroiled in a torrid love affair during shooting and later were married.

We meet Doc in a Texas prison, where his parole has just been denied. Doc and Carol decide to make a deal with a corrupt businessman, Jack Benyon, to ensure Doc is released. One stipulation is for Doc to participate in a bank heist with two of Jack’s men (Rudy and Frank).

The heist goes off, but things go awry and Doc and Carol head for El Paso with a large sum of money, being pursued by Rudy, and a double-cross attempt by Jack.

Rudy kidnaps veterinarian Harold and his young wife Fran (Sally Struthers) to aid him with his injuries, taking them along as he pursues Doc and Carol.

Mixed in with the already complicated plot is a con-man, who attempts to steal Doc and Carol’s money.

Doc and Carol are clearly the heroes of the film and are meant to be rooted for and the characters work very well together. Yes, they are criminals themselves, but they are portrayed as nice and not hurting anyone who does not deserve it. Doc does spare Rudy’s life at one point, and I think this only reinforces his appealing anti-hero character.

The love story is also a great aspect of the film making Doc and Carol likable. A few sweet, tender scenes of their romance are mixed in, adding a nice balance to the otherwise testosterone-fueled events.

The Getaway contains spectacular editing as, particularly at the beginning of the film, we watch Doc in prison, going through his day-to-day rituals, mixed in brilliantly with other stories in the film.

The musical score matches perfectly with the editing as it adds a provocative element of intrigue. These components add the necessary elements to a film like this- edge of your seat!

I love the Texas setting.

Characters are constantly traveling to get somewhere- either by train, by car, or on foot- so we see much of the Texas countryside, almost giving The Getaway a Western flavor.

It is certainly a hot and humid environment, though McQueen always has a sophisticated suit on and MacGraw looks stylish and put together.

And from a prop perspective, I never tire of seeing those early 1970s sedans driving at high speeds.

Unfortunately, as with most Peckinpah films, women are not portrayed in a positive light, though Carol is one of the strongest of his female film characters. Yet, in one tough scene, she is smacked around by Doc after he realizes she slept with Jack to ensure his release from prison.

The most confusing and weak character is Fran. In a strange bit of writing, she inexplicably falls madly in love with her kidnapper, Rudy, even as he abuses and humiliates her- while her husband is around. This is odd and tough to watch and not the best part of The Getaway.

Her character is not developed well and it is head-shaking why she feels any passion for Rudy.

The heart of the film belongs to Doc and Carol as they are on the lam for much of the time and this is a successful part of The Getaway- hence the title. Will they get caught, will they escape?

The characters remind me of Bonnie and Clyde, so we wonder if Doc and Carol will meet the same fate, but of course, we like them so we do not want that.

The Getaway is a fast-paced, down-home, red-blooded sort of action film. It is stylized, gritty, and sometimes violent. The chicken wing scene between Rudy, Fran, and Harold starts light and turns ugly, adding to the unpredictable nature of the film.

A supreme offering by Peckinpah.