Having worked in the
alternative-newspaper business well past the historical period during which Village Voice-style periodicals enjoyed
their highest degree of sociopolitical relevance, I naturally harbor some
romanticism for the idea of scrappy young liberals covering culture and
politics in ways that cut against the mainstream grain. Yet even with my
predisposition, I found Joan Micklin Silver’s movie about this subject matter, Between the Lines, massively
underwhelming. Despite credibility of authorship (screenwriter Fred Barron
worked at weekly papers in Boston, where the film is set) and despite a strong
cast (many of the film’s young actors later gained notoriety), Silver failed to
generate any real excitement. One intrinsic problem is the use of an
Altman-esque mosaic approach to storytelling, because Silver lacks the artistry
and madness to needed to replicate the controlled chaos of Altman’s pictures.
Another significant issue is the fact that most of the male characters are
schmucks who treat women terribly. This accurately reflects the time period
being depicted—the ’70s were lousy with studs who shrouded macho egotism behind
sensitive-guy posturing—but it’s not much fun to watch dudes demean the ladies
in their lives. And, of course, one should not discount the quandary that’s
layered into the DNA of real-life alternative newsweeklies, which is the
eternal risk of hipocracy. Music critics lambaste Establishment values while
accepting free concert tickets; pretentious writers bemoan the inability of the
public to recognize good work, while simultaneously angling to get publishing
deals; and wide-eyed idealists advocate left-leaning social models even though
they’re engaged in purely commercial enterprises.
To its credit, Between the Line touches on all of these
themes, but the film does so in such an inconsequential manner that it’s hard
to develop any engagement while watching characters debate thorny topics. Worse,
Silver proves unable to escalate onscreen events into full-on comedy—Between the Lines may generate a titter
or two, but nary a guffaw emerges. In sum, the movie is easier to appreciate
than it is to enjoy. As for the plot, it’s painfully predictable—a heroic band
of scrappy journalists struggles to maintain integrity after a money-grubbing
publisher buys the paper for which they work. Cue blunt conversations about the
“death of the counterculture.” Still, the cast is something. The male
leads are Stephen Collins, Jeff Goldbum, and John Heard, and the leading ladies
are Lindsay Crouse, Jill Eikenberry, and Marilu Henner. Also present are Bruno
Kirby, Michael J. Pollard, and Lane Smith. Silver gives each of these actors
room to exercise his or her personal style, so Goldblum naturally dominates
with his hyperkinetic intellectualism, and Heard grounds the endeavor by
staking out the moral high ground (except when it comes to women).
Between the Lines: FUNKY
