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Up Close & Personal, was based on the "It" girl of early 80's network news Jessica Savitch. Savitch lived a life more akin to a rockstar. She made the big leagues of network life while no sweating a nasty cocaine addiction. Then the beautiful golden coke addict died in a mysterious car accident.

Up Close and Personal was pitched like this:
Lets make a story about Savitch, but don't let her die in the end.

It would have been a better (not to mention a lot more fun) if the they'd stuck to Jessica's story. Everyone loves a story of a hotshot star hooked on cocaine with several nasty love problems on the side and a mysterious demise.


Instead, you have Pfeiffer as a station rookie begging to do anything to get on air, even as the weather girl. Thank goodness for Miss Michele that Mr Redford was there to save her bacon! He changes her name, gives her personality, and acts in that Svengali way that we women just melt for. Pfeiffer moves up to the big leagues, ditching poor Redford in the hell that is South Florida. Just as soon as Pfeiffer begins to lose it up at the heady network levels of Philadephia, Redford steps in with a box of kleenex and a "buck up little camper."
Savitch would have known that this is prime coke-snorting time for our network wannabe. Instead, Redford determines to be the guy behind the gal and guide her in his inspired way to even greater heights, while making sure she stays a blonde.

Give me a break.

This was just another The Woman Can't Make it Without the Man pictures. Please, tell us we need an aging man, with a skin problem and a nice ranch to make us successful, I dig it baby. Uh-huh. Someday I'll wish upon a star that the sexist, ego-maniac hacks in that town finally get the feminism beat into them.

But back to the movie.
Targeted to we 'romantic' chicks as a 3 hanky flick, Up Close & Personal was just another attempt to make us buy Reford as a leading man. Pfeiffer does tolerably (Thank goodness she invested in the waterproof mascara!) And I even like Robert Redford, just not in this movie, in fact, I don't like anyone in this movie. They should have passed.

Overall, the story bored me nearly as much as pissed me off.

Hook on an ear buster by Celine Dion to round out the cliche love story--- awful!!!

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originally posted: 03/20/99 19:52:01
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