Late Bloomers

1995, Movie, NR, 104 mins

LATE BLOOMERS
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Two middle-aged high-school workers take a stroll through the CHALK GARDEN in this well-intentioned, occasionally ridiculous comedy-drama from first-time feature director Gretchen Dyer. Dinah (Connie Nelson), a lonely geometry teacher and girl's basketball coach, has convinced herself that math is the only thing you can count on: Love is entirely too ephemeral. That is, until she strikes up a friendship with the school's secretary, Carly (Dee Hennigan), an overweight, frustrated mother of two and the wife of one of Dinah's fellow math teachers. A couple of friendly basketball lessons quickly develop into a much more intimate contact sport, and before long the now-flourishing Carly leaves her family to start life anew with Dinah. But the inevitable price, in the form of nasty gossip, a hostile student body and outraged parents, must be paid. A few good ideas exist here alongside some truly awful ones -- the scene involving a game of naked basketball immediately springs to mind. A heated PTA meeting that climaxes with a cookie sailing dramatically through the air in slow motion, striking Carly squarely on her brow with a resounding thud, runs a close second. But despite the often silly tone and an unbelievably idyllic denouement, the film does brave-up to some thorny issues involving responsibility and personal happiness, while exposing the kind of small-mindedness that can so casually destroy lives. leave a comment --Ken Fox
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Late Bloomers
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