When he connected with the
right material, Robert Altman created distinctive cinematic experiences,
allowing viewers to discover new things and to examine familiar things in fresh
ways. Conversely, Altman’s engagement with weak material generally resulted in
mediocrity, as well as a few artistic disasters. Altman’s two movies from 1979
illustrate this point. The sci-fi saga Quintet
is a misfire on nearly every level, whereas the offbeat romantic comedy A Perfect Couple is frustratingly
erratic. The basic story is drab, and only Altman would build a romantic movie
around character actor Paul Dooely, a middle-aged everyman with a hangdog face.
Had Altman kept things simple, A Perfect
Couple could have been a charming trifle. Alas, Altman overcompensated for
the slight narrative by integrating musical interludes and recurring visual
metaphors. That’s why A Perfect Couple
sprawls across 110 very long minutes, with as much screen time devoted to
concert performances as to dramatic scenes. The balancing act doesn’t work—each
of the two major cinematic elements drains energy from the other. Furthermore,
Altman’s bold choice of placing a relatively inexperienced actress in the
leading female role backfired, because Marta Heflin is a vacant presence who
fails to match Dooley’s wonderful comic energy. Even Altman’s usual trope of
employing quirky supporting characters for laughs falls flat here, because he
introduces a set of eccentric relatives for Dooley’s character, and then barely
uses them.
The main storyline begins
with an uptight businessman named Alex (Dooley) sharing a calamitous first date
with free-spirited Sheila (Heflin). In addition to being many years younger
than Alex, Sheila is a featured vocalist in a rock band, so the would-be lovers
encounter considerable differences as they try to build a relationship. In
Alex’s scenes, Altman accentuates Alex’s preoccupation with his Greek heritage
as well as his fraught interactions with judgmental relatives. In Sheila’s
scenes, Altman focuses on rock-band dynamics. (Sheila’s group is led by a egotistical
womanizer named Teddy, who is played by leather-lunged actor/singer Ted Neeley,
of Jesus Christ Superstar fame.) The
movie’s central relationship isn’t particularly believable, and both leading
characters have unattractive qualities, so it’s hard to care very much about what
happens. Altman’s meandering storytelling adds to the general feeling of
indifference. Still, some of the tunes are rousing, Dooley scores a few great
moments, and every so often Altman locks into a lyrical groove for a few
minutes.
A Perfect Couple: FUNKY
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