| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Joanne Woodward | ... | ||
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Nell Potts | ... | |
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Roberta Wallach | ... | |
| Judith Lowry | ... |
Nanny Annie
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| David Spielberg | ... |
Mr. John Goodman
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Richard Venture | ... |
Floyd Hunsdorfer
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Carolyn Coates | ... |
Mrs. McKay
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Will Hare | ... |
Junk Man
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Estelle Omens | ... |
Caroline Hunsdorfer
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Jess Osuna | ... |
Trooper Sonny Gunderson
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Ellen Dano | ... |
Janice Vickery
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Lynne Rogers | ... |
Miss Edith Hanley
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Roger Serbagi | ... |
Charlie
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John Lehne | ... |
Apartment Manager
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Michael Kearney | ... |
Chris Burns
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From the Pullizer Prize winning play by Paul Zindel, this is the story of Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters, Ruth and Matilda. A middle-aged widowed eccentric, Beatrice is looking for her life in the classified ads while all about her is the rubble of an unkempt house. All she needs is the right opportunity, she says puffing on a cigarette. Poorly equipped to survive the vagaries of modern life, she has nonetheless always managed to muddle through. Ruth, epileptic and making her way through the rebellious phase of adolescence, seems doomed to make the same mistakes as her mother. Quiet Matilda, on the other hand, seeks refuge in her animals and her schoolwork. "Jesus, don't you hate the world, Matilda?" Beatrice asks her youngest daughter. The title of the film is also the subject of Matilda's science project at school and serves as a metaphor for the way life affects each of us differently -- how some are able to find opportunity in adversity and thrive and how some succumb when ... Written by Mark Fleetwood <[email protected]>
Paul Newman again surprises (along with "Rachel, Rachel") as Joanne Woodward is presented in the unglamorous role of Beatrice Hunsdorfer, a bitter widow living on the fringe in an anonymous Connecticut suburb.
Nell Potts and Roberta Wallach in diametrically opposed roles, Ruth, the epileptic popular daughter, and Mathilda, the science-project sensitive daughter who relates to her pet rabbit.
While some is a bit overdone it is no stretch to imagine a bored housewife trying to make ends meet; Woodward is sympathetic and annoying at the same time. A brilliant performance.
This film was made in 1972 and it would truly amazing to see real character portrayals in film again. Today we have to visit the theater for such affecting performances. Well worth more than one viewing. 9/10.