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Falling In Love

1984, Movie, PG-13, 107 mins

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The eagerly awaited reunion of De Niro and Streep, whose tender relationship in THE DEER HUNTER (1978) proved to be one of the highlights of that superb film, was a heartbreaking disappointment. FALLING IN LOVE is a distinctly passionless film in which deep emotions are only hinted at and all character development takes place off-screen. De Niro is a successful architect, married and the father of two children, who commutes from Westchester County to Manhattan every day on the same train as Streep, a free-lance graphic artist, also married, who makes regular visits to her ailing father in Manhattan. An accidental meeting sparks the attraction between them. Intended as a bittersweet, forbidden romance in the tradition of BRIEF ENCOUNTER, FALLING IN LOVE presents two dull, unappealing, unsympathetic people and tries to arouse our sympathy for their dilemma. De Niro and Streep are great actors, but at times their distinctive mannerisms overpower any naturalness in their characterizations. The basic flaw in FALLING IN LOVE, however, is that no one in the film--including the lovers--seems to be in love. leave a comment
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