From: frankm@microsoft.com (Frank R.A.J. Maloney)
Subject: PRELUDE TO A KISS
Date: 26 Jul 92 05:49:58 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Windows/DOS Users Ed Group

PRELUDE TO A KISS is a film directed by Norman Rene, from a
screenplay by Craig Lucas. It stars Alec Baldwin, Meg Ryan,
Sydney Walker, with Kathy Bates, Patty Duke, and Ned Beatty.
Rated PG-13, due to language.

PRELUDE TO A KISS suffers from coming so late in the nearly
exhausted cycle of body-switching comedies that infested the
movie screens in the 80s, the best being probably BIG, the
most profitable GHOST, the most ill-timed PEGGY SUE GOT
MARRIED, the most sleazy one that escapes my mind just now
but was a remake of a 60s sleazoid comedy about a sleazeball
who comes back as a woman. By now, most of us have had about
all we want of this particular subgenre for the next few
years. This is unfortunate because PRELUDE is a sweet,
likable film with some winning performances. The story is
also a little thin and would have benefited from some
interesting subplot, such as one exploiting the charming
performance by the man who plays Peter's (Alec Baldwin) best
friend. I think Peter's friend is gay, not because he kisses
Peter just before the wedding but because of something in
the dialog about the friend never getting married.

In fact one of the most interesting and successful aspects
of PRELUDE is the skillful and sensitive way it handles the
homosexual tensions inherent in the situation, towit an old
man's soul in a young woman's body and vice versa. It's true
that the script descends into smirking humor once or twice
principally when Sydney Walker in his own body and "in Meg
Ryan's," as it were, goes out of his way to say
that Baldwin wasn't to his taste as a lover. On the other,
and more convincing hand, we are presented with some
intimate moments and one very tender kiss between Walker and
Baldwin. By comparison look at the tricky way GHOST avoided
showing us Whoopi Goldberg being kissed by a woman (again).

This is the pleasantest role I've seen Baldwin in. He is
quirky, sexy, sensitive, passionately devoted to getting at
the truth about his wife's change in character and to
righting a great wrong. He expresses tender emotions lightly
and convincingly and his finely tuned performance anchors
the movie.

Meg Ryan is a good choice for the bohemian, darkly figured
Rita, who is so afraid of life that she can barely restrain her
love of death. Ryan is appealing and quite comfortable with
what is effectively a dual role.

The showiest performance, and the one that may be remembered
at Oscar time, is Walker's. The bitter, dying, absent old
man who rediscovers the preciousness of life, even a dying
life. He has a couple of powerful speeches that are the
moral center of this film.

The film is adapted from a stage play, which is probably why
it is talkier than most movies, given to speeches more than
dialog. No throw-away lines here; every word is to a
purpose. Otherwise, the transition from stage to screen is
mostly seamless and more successful than most such
adaptations.

Mention also ought to be made of the fine, but brief
supporting roles from Kathy Bates as Walker's daughter, from
Ned Beatty and Patty Duke as Ryan's parents.

The moments of all-out magic may be not as magical on the
screen as on the stage, but the rest of this story is
handled mostly convincingly thanks to the excellence of the
actors and some sensitive direction from Norman Rene, the
director of the 1989 AIDS drama, LONG TIME COMPANION.

I recommend PRELUDE to anyone with a taste for the romantic,
the life-affirming, for the witty and erotic. This is a
charmer and I very much enjoyed it even at full ticket
price.

-- 
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
	"Well, I'm a little muddled." -- Glinda