Movie of the Month - June 2016: Always (1989)

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That's a very interesting choice gb! I didn't even know this movie existed, and I thought I at least heard of all of Spielberg's films.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
That's a very interesting choice gb! I didn't even know this movie existed, and I thought I at least heard of all of Spielberg's films.
One of the reasons why I chose this movie was because it seems to be a movie that a lot of people either don't know that it exists, or they've heard of it, but they've never seen it. I'm hoping that choosing it as the Movie of the Month will get some people to watch it.
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OPEN FLOOR.



I believe the reason I wasn't interested in seeing Always when it was out, was because I assumed it would be sappy and old fashioned. I was right, but that's not a bad thing since I like movies like that now.

My favorite significant stretch of the movie was the beginning, before the major event happened. Up to that point, I thought the movie could end up being a strong personal favorite of mine. I wasn't thrilled about the fantastical element that came into play, but this type of fantasy isn't a big letdown for me. I swear I've seen very similar stories before; I just can't remember offhand which movies. I do think this part of the movie could have somehow been done more realistically and better. I did not like the scenes with Audrey Hepburn as Hap. Seeing her in the movie gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, I was thrilled because I thought she passed on around the late 60's or early 70's. On the other hand, she didn't age well, and I would have rather not seen her like that.

The actor I enjoyed the most was Richard Dreyfuss, who I've always been a fan of. He's basically been completely insignificant for the past 20 years, and to see a performance of his for the first time while he was still in his prime was very nice. I also enjoyed John Goodman's performance. It was nice to see him be John Goodman instead of the caricature he has become. The other positive performance came from Holly Hunter, who's an actress I've always been fond of. Unfortunately, Brad Johnson offered nothing in what was a very important role. I thought his performance was a huge negative for the film.

I think the movie has a little bit of an inconsistent tone, but there are a lot of terrific moments. I think showcasing the job that these characters do was a stroke of genius. Their work is exciting and dangerous, and their ups and downs result in an emotionally satisfying movie. I think it could have been better in multiple ways, but any movie that makes me feel anything, is a movie that I give a lot of credit to.

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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I believe the reason I wasn't interested in seeing Always when it was out, was because I assumed it would be sappy and old fashioned. I was right, but that's not a bad thing since I like movies like that now.

My favorite significant stretch of the movie was the beginning, before the major event happened. Up to that point, I thought the movie could end up being a strong personal favorite of mine. I wasn't thrilled about the fantastical element that came into play, but this type of fantasy isn't a big letdown for me. I swear I've seen very similar stories before; I just can't remember offhand which movies. I do think this part of the movie could have somehow been done more realistically and better. I did not like the scenes with Audrey Hepburn as Hap. Seeing her in the movie gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, I was thrilled because I thought she passed on around the late 60's or early 70's. On the other hand, she didn't age well, and I would have rather not seen her like that.

The actor I enjoyed the most was Richard Dreyfuss, who I've always been a fan of. He's basically been completely insignificant for the past 20 years, and to see a performance of his for the first time while he was still in his prime was very nice. I also enjoyed John Goodman's performance. It was nice to see him be John Goodman instead of the caricature he has become. The other positive performance came from Holly Hunter, who's an actress I've always been fond of. Unfortunately, Brad Johnson offered nothing in what was a very important role. I thought his performance was a huge negative for the film.

I think the movie has a little bit of an inconsistent tone, but there are a lot of terrific moments. I think showcasing the job that these characters do was a stroke of genius. Their work is exciting and dangerous, and their ups and downs result in an emotionally satisfying movie. I think it could have been better in multiple ways, but any movie that makes me feel anything, is a movie that I give a lot of credit to.

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Thanks for watching the Movie of the Month.

Like I said previously, I don't expect most people to love Always as much as I do, but I'm glad that you liked it. Even though I love it, I can see most of the flaws that you mentioned, but for me, the good stuff in this movie far outweighs the bad.

I wish they had gotten anyone else to play Brad Johnson's role because as you said, his performance hurt the movie. (I read that Tom Cruise was asked to play that role, but he turned it down. I'm not a fan of his, but even he would have been much better than Brad Johnson.)

You mentioned that the movie has "a lot of terrific moments". My favorite scene is
WARNING: "SPOILERS!!!" spoilers below
when Dorinda is on a date with Ted, and Pete is watching them dance. I tear up every time I see the pain Pete is going through when he asks Hap to take him out of there, and I love watching when Pete and Dorinda dance together after Ted leaves.





Hey guess what! I watched Always last night

I liked it to for the most part. It's one of those movies that have something for everyone. I myself, liked the fire fighting scenes...the scenes of the old planes flying low over the roaring fire to drop water & retardant to put out the flames. I thought the flying scenes and the forest fires were well done. I was on the edge of my seat! I really like the way that was filmed.

I knew the plane they flew was an old WWII plane, as you could see where the forward mounted gun turret had been mounted in the plexiglass nosecone. That plane was a Douglas A-26 Invader and rocked! I really enjoyed seeing the old planes in use. Oh...and the fire fighter air strip, that's in my home state of Washington. We have a lot of forest fires here and I live out in the woods so the fire fighting scenes were a big plus to me.

I have to agree with Cricket I didn't care for the fantasy scenes with Hap (Audrey Hepburn)...well in the hell is she named Hap? Luckily those were only a couple minutes long and are not a deal breaker. Oh...I thought Audrey looked great for a 64 year old woman, sad it's her last movie

The only other scene/character I didn't like was the old hobo, I thought that was over the top, which is Spielberg's trademark. But once again that scene is like 2 minutes max so no big deal.

Everyone said they didn't like the actor Brad Johnson who played Ted...agreed. He was an OK actor but he was physical wrong for the part. He has this leading man, alpha male look and when we see him we've been conditioned to think that type of guy has woman throwing themselves at his feet. So he just didn't suit the role. Though the glasses did help him look more humble. But he was way too tall and damn! Holy Hunter is tiny!

I could keep going on but I'll save the rest for any questions or thoughts GBG or anyone else has of me.



This is my second watch of Always. It is mostly the movie I remember it to be. The first half hour is really solid for me. I love the way Spielberg sets up his worlds and characters, and this film is no different. It never completely loses me, but comes close from the inevitable Dreyfuss conflict forward. It becomes monotnous and too sentimental. It also all but loses its sense of humor. I think a lot of that has to do with the character of Ted, who is the wettest of blankets in my opinion. Whether it is the performance or the way he is written, I don't know. That character just doesn't work for me at all. I loved Goodman, and I thought Hunter was solid. They have a scene that I think is the worst in the movie though. When Goodman goes to retrieve her. It is supposed to have a heavy emotional weight but it isn't earned at all. Not a terrible watch, but very middle of the road for me. Especially coming from one of the greats.
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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Thank You to those of you who are watching Always, and participating in the Movie of the Month thread. I'm glad that people are enjoying the movie, even if it's not likely to become a favorite for anyone but me.




Hey guess what! I watched Always last night

I liked it to for the most part. It's one of those movies that have something for everyone. I myself, liked the fire fighting scenes...the scenes of the old planes flying low over the roaring fire to drop water & retardant to put out the flames. I thought the flying scenes and the forest fires were well done. I was on the edge of my seat! I really like the way that was filmed.

I knew the plane they flew was an old WWII plane, as you could see where the forward mounted gun turret had been mounted in the plexiglass nosecone. That plane was a Douglas A-26 Invader and rocked! I really enjoyed seeing the old planes in use. Oh...and the fire fighter air strip, that's in my home state of Washington. We have a lot of forest fires here and I live out in the woods so the fire fighting scenes were a big plus to me.

I have to agree with Cricket I didn't care for the fantasy scenes with Hap (Audrey Hepburn)...well in the hell is she named Hap? Luckily those were only a couple minutes long and are not a deal breaker. Oh...I thought Audrey looked great for a 64 year old woman, sad it's her last movie

The only other scene/character I didn't like was the old hobo, I thought that was over the top, which is Spielberg's trademark. But once again that scene is like 2 minutes max so no big deal.

Everyone said they didn't like the actor Brad Johnson who played Ted...agreed. He was an OK actor but he was physical wrong for the part. He has this leading man, alpha male look and when we see him we've been conditioned to think that type of guy has woman throwing themselves at his feet. So he just didn't suit the role. Though the glasses did help him look more humble. But he was way too tall and damn! Holy Hunter is tiny!

I could keep going on but I'll save the rest for any questions or thoughts GBG or anyone else has of me.
I'm not sure why people don't seem to like the scenes with Audrey Hepburn. I loved seeing her in the movie, and I think those scenes are important to the movie because they explain why Pete has to go back, and what he's supposed to be doing. He's not there for himself or Dorinda. He's there for Ted.

I thought the scene with the old hobo had kind of an eerie feeling to it, the way the hobo heard Pete, but translated it inaccurately to Ted. While it's not one of the better scenes in the movie, I thought it was important to move the story along.

Have you seen the original version of this movie, A Guy Named Joe (1943)? It doesn't have the fire-fighting scenes, but I think you might prefer that to the remake because it takes place during the war.


This is my second watch of Always. It is mostly the movie I remember it to be. The first half hour is really solid for me. I love the way Spielberg sets up his worlds and characters, and this film is no different. It never completely loses me, but comes close from the inevitable Dreyfuss conflict forward. It becomes monotnous and too sentimental. It also all but loses its sense of humor. I think a lot of that has to do with the character of Ted, who is the wettest of blankets in my opinion. Whether it is the performance or the way he is written, I don't know. That character just doesn't work for me at all. I loved Goodman, and I thought Hunter was solid. They have a scene that I think is the worst in the movie though. When Goodman goes to retrieve her. It is supposed to have a heavy emotional weight but it isn't earned at all. Not a terrible watch, but very middle of the road for me. Especially coming from one of the greats.
For me, the Dreyfuss conflict is what makes this movie great. The emotion of watching Pete go from being so happy and planning his future with Dorinda, to him watching her moving on and dating another man is just heartbreaking.

Again, have you seen the original version of this movie, A Guy Named Joe (1943)? It's basically the same story, but it's less sentimental, so you also might prefer it to the remake.

Personally, I think the cast in the remake is better than the cast in the original, with the obvious exception of Brad Johnson vs. Van Johnson. Dreyfuss plays Pete more as a man who hurting emotionally watching Dorinda and Ted, while Spencer Tracy plays Pete more as a jealous and angry man, so it's harder to feel what Tracy is feeling. And Holly Hunter is so adorable as Dorinda that she's even more likable than Irene Dunne in the same role.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
How did you guys feel about the Rachel character and her scenes with Ted?
I liked Marg Helgenberger as Rachel, and I didn't like the way that Ted just kind of ignored her. I would have liked to see her end up with Ted. I thought they would have made a better couple than Dorinda and Ted. (IMO, Dorinda deserves better than Ted.)

But while I think of this movie being about Pete letting go of Dorinda, the movie is also about Dorinda moving on, so she's the subject of the romance, not Rachel. (Did that make sense?)



I liked Marg Helgenberger as Rachel, and I didn't like the way that Ted just kind of ignored her. I would have liked to see her end up with Ted. I thought they would have made a better couple than Dorinda and Ted. (IMO, Dorinda deserves better than Ted.)
It bugged me too the way Ted talks all romantic to Rachel and so she thinks he's in love with her and she's on cloud 9 and very happy about, only to get a big slap in the face. That scene wasn't written well. There was no need to make Ted a heel and to so Rachel hurt just to convey the message that Ted is sweet on Dorinda.

But while I think of this movie being about Pete letting go of Dorinda, the movie is also about Dorinda moving on, so she's the subject of the romance, not Rachel. (Did that make sense?)
Yup makes sense, and yup that is what the movie is about.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
It bugged me too the way Ted talks all romantic to Rachel and so she thinks he's in love with her and she's on cloud 9 and very happy about, only to get a big slap in the face. That scene wasn't written well. There was no need to make Ted a heel and to so Rachel hurt just to convey the message that Ted is sweet on Dorinda.

Ted is easily the weak link in the movie. I wish they had cast a better actor in the role. I think it would have changed the tone of the movie if Dorinda and Ted had good chemistry together. With Brad Johnson, I don't really want to see them end up together, but with a different actor, Ted might have been likable, so as much as it would have hurt Pete, I might have wanted to see Dorinda end up with Ted.



I can see that what you said makes sense.

I read a bunch of reviews of Always at IMDB starting with the hated it. I always learn more about a film that way. I swear everyone said, John Goodman was really good, most liked Holly Hunter, Richard Dreyfus reception was luke warm...and everyone hated Brad Johnson as Ted. (This was only the Hated It reviews. I didn't read them all.) I just thought it was telling that everyone seemed to agree on certain points.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I can see that what you said makes sense.

I read a bunch of reviews of Always at IMDB starting with the hated it. I always learn more about a film that way. I swear everyone said, John Goodman was really good, most liked Holly Hunter, Richard Dreyfus reception was luke warm...and everyone hated Brad Johnson as Ted. (This was only the Hated It reviews. I didn't read them all.) I just thought it was telling that everyone seemed to agree on certain points.
"Richard Dreyfus reception was luke warm"???

I thought he was great in Always. I was right there with him the whole movie. He made me feel everything that he was going through.



That was only what the reviewers at IMDB said (collectively) when I read only the Hated It reviews (not all the reviews) I'm sure the Loved It reviews, those with high star ratings, had much different things to say. You can sort them by Hate It, Love It, Recent, Most Popular. I didn't have the time to read the other reviews.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
That was only what the reviewers at IMDB said (collectively) when I read only the Hated It reviews (not all the reviews) I'm sure the Loved It reviews, those with high star ratings, had much different things to say. You can sort them by Hate It, Love It, Recent, Most Popular. I didn't have the time to read the other reviews.

I don't usually read the IMDB reviews of my favorite movies because it's kind of depressing the way some of those people pick apart movies.



Oh, just read the Hate It, but then go and read the Love It. It's just peoples opinions anyway. I only mention it because everyone seemed to really like Goodman and really dislike Brad Johnson.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Oh, just read the Hate It, but then go and read the Love It. It's just peoples opinions anyway. I only mention it because everyone seemed to really like Goodman and really dislike Brad Johnson.

I'm not surprised. John Goodman was great in the movie, and Brad Johnson was very badly miscast as Ted.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Yup. BTW I have A Guy Name Joe and I'm going to give that a watch one of these days.
I'm very curious to know what you think of it. I prefer Always over A Guy Named Joe, but I think the original is more your style.



I'm sure it is more my style A Guy Named Joe (1943) had the screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and that alone makes me want to watch it. It's also directed by one of the greats Victor Fleming and has a top notch cast: Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne and Van Johnson. The guys seemed to really like Irene Dunne in the reviews I read.

So thanks to your Movie of the Month Always...I'll discover a new movie I've never seen!