As the energy and lucidity seep away from the aging Daddy (Bert Remsen), he and his mother-in-law, Mama Wheelis (Molly McClure), are joined at his Texas farmhouse by his four children: Sara Lee (Tess Harper), bragging of her recent engagement to Clarence (Keith Carradine), a local urban
cowboy; Lurlene (Amy Wright), an uptight and judgmental born-again Christian; Evalita (Beverly D'Angelo), the rebel of the family, who brings her sixth husband, Harmony (Judge Reinhold), a hippie musician; and, finally, Orville (Beau Bridges), who bullies and berates his sweet, overweight wife,
Marlene (Patrika Darbo). Daddy is still in possession of his will, which starts a family argument, mostly about Evalita's failings. She storms out and heads to a nearby bar, rejecting even Harmony's comfort, and meets up with Clarence, who gets her to sing along with the band. Back at the house,
Orville searches for the will while Harmony, Lurlene, Marlene, and Mama Wheelis sing a hymn at the piano. Daddy comes in and watches them, but thinks he's watching his family as children. Meanwhile, Harmony heads over to the honky-tonk, thrilling the patrons with his guitar playing; however,
Evalita rebuffs him and stays with Clarence. The next morning, as the family continues to complain about Evalita, Lurlene finds Daddy out cold. Later, in the hospital, he admits that he can't find the will, and that he's "made a mistake." That evening, Orville and Evalita search the whole place
for the will, to no avail, starting another family argument. Evalita leaves again, and Sara Lee follows her to the bar to confess to Clarence that she's faked the engagement. Stoned, Harmony and Marlene gigglingly gorge food and speak of their mutual attraction. Harmony then nearly seduces
Marlene, but Orville walks in, chastising his wife for eating. Later, Mama Wheelis remembers a strongbox where they find the will, which gives nothing to Lurlene or Orville. Sara Lee agrees to share her part, but Evalita refuses. Harmony leaves Evalita, and Marlene leaves Orville to start a new
life with Harmony. When Daddy's funeral comes around, Orville and Evalita refuse to attend--he out of resentment over the will, and she because she doesn't have appropriate clothes. But when the others rehearse a hymn at the piano, Evalita and Orville slowly join in, pleasing Daddy's smiling
ghost.
The script for DADDY'S DYIN'...WHO'S GOT THE WILL? has a number of problems, among them too many coincidences, too pat an ending, and too many loose ends. Perhaps if the makers had decided more clearly whether the film was drama, a black comedy, or a character study, the structure would have held
together better. Also, as so often happens with movies based on plays (especially when the screenplay is written by the playwright), this film suffers from betraying its stage origins throughout. The comic timing and acting are often too broad for cinema, and the majority of the action is confined
to a single set. But the most telltale sign of the film's stage origins is that people talk much more than they act.
These problems aside, however, the movie has a good deal to offer, particularly in its performances. D'Angelo earns the top acting honors, delivering an energetic, sexy, and sad performance, as well as a number of songs. Harper, Wright, and McClure also do fairly well with characters the script
ought to have fleshed out more. The inspired casting of terminal good guy Bridges as a detestable character adds depth to the role of Orville (his family and the audience know he's nice deep down). As the hippie Harmony, Reinhold takes some getting used to, but ultimately he carries the role well,
and he and Darbo add much-needed warmth to this otherwise often cruel film. And Remsen gives a wonderful, nuanced performance, delicately making us feel his confusion and pain, as well as his deluded joy.
With all its flaws, DADDY'S DYIN' does succeed as a film, if only because it manages to reveal certain truths about families that other movies shy away from or sentimentalize. (Profanity, drug abuse, adult situations.) leave a comment