Faithful *** (1996, Cher, Chazz Palminteri, Ryan O’Neal, Paul Mazursky) – Classic Movie Review 4904

Housewife Cher plans suicide when she finds out that her husband of 20 years is unfaithful –­ until she gets a wake-up call when she discovers that a hitman is out to kill her, has broken into her house, tied her to a chair and is awaiting two rings of the phone, the signal for him to kill her.

Cher is good value in director Paul Mazursky’s funny 1996 comedy drama, with a wry script by Chazz Palminteri (based on his own play), who also co-stars very effectively as the hitman. Ryan O’Neal is a bit bland as the hubby but director Mazursky plays Palminteri’s tormented shrink creepily.

Despite the well-crafted filming and the fluid camerawork, the movie is very talky and never escapes its stage origins, but nevertheless it is still diverting.

Also in the cast are Amber Smith, Elisa Leonetti, Mark Nassar, Allison Janney, Stephen Spinella, Jeffrey Wright, David Marino, Steven Randazzo, Olinda Turturro, Max Norat and Chris O’Neill.

It is produced by Robert De Niro for his Tribeca company, with Jane Rosenthal.

It cost $13,000,000 and took $2,104,000 at US box offices. Cher later admitted the film was a box office failure: ‘I was so sorry for Chazz because it was his baby.’

Nominated for five Oscars, Paul Mazursky died on 30 June 2014, aged 84.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 4904

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