Six Degrees of Separation **** (1993, Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, Will Smith, Ian McKellen) – Classic Movie Review 2099

Stockard Channing as Ouisa Kittredge: ‘I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people… I also find it like Chinese water torture that we’re so close, because you have to find the right six people to make the right connection.’

Donald Sutherland and Channing are on scalding form, at long last spitting out dialogue that is worthy of them, as Flan and Ouisa Kittredge, New York art dealer rich folk fooled by Paul (Will Smith), an utterly charming gay young pretender they take in to their home, in director Fred Schepisi’s absolutely riveting 1993 movie of John Guare’s posh hit Broadway play. The screenplay is by Guare himself.

Smith also gives a tour de force as the ultimate spunger with style, Paul, who turns up hurt at their doorstep, claiming to be a Harvard buddy of their children and the son of actor Sidney Poitier. But it is all a silly hoax and the couple turn on him when they ask him to stay the night and later find him in bed with a man.

It is a provocative, good-looking and highly entertaining film, but you do have to sit and listen, though Schepisi makes a polished job of making it cinematic without falling into the trap of ‘opening out’ the play. Surprisingly, alas, Ian McKellen gives the movie’s sole poor performance, sounding a wrong note as a South African art buyer.

Also in the cast are Mary Beth Hurt, Bruce Davison, Richard Masur, Anthony Michael Hall, Heather Graham, Eric Thal, Anthony Rapp, Osgood Perkins, Catherine Kellner, Jeffrey Abrams, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Vasek Simek, Danniel von Bargen and Madhur Jaffrey.

Anthony Rapp appeared in the original Broadway productions of both Six Degrees of Separation and Rent (2005), and in their film adaptations.

In October 2004, McKellen demanded that Smith should account for what he said back in 1993 after he refused to kiss another man in the film, saying that would ‘gross out’ his fans. ‘He thought he was saying something very individual,’ says McKellen, ‘but what he was actually confirming was that he’s got the disease so many people have – homophobia.’

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2099

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