'The Bridges of Madison County' on OVATION

Clint was wayyyyyyyyy too old for his part. But Meryl was decent in her part, although she doesn't 'look' Italian. The man and woman who portray Meryl's children are patently dull and awful, but I love the scene where she's in the truck with her family and she sees Clint's truck and almost bolts out of her car to join him, but doesn't, then bursts into tears...

• [quote]I love the scene where she's in the truck with her family and she sees Clint's truck and almost bolts out of her car to join him, but doesn't, then bursts into tears... That scene always gets me. I agree that all the stuff with the kids was dreadful.

• Yeah, the kids sucked. It's funny how a book derided by critics turned out to be a superior film.

• it's only superior because of Streep's performance. Eastwood was already too old for the part. Laughable as a sex symbol. But Streep's accent is 100% spot on, she nails every inflection that an Italian has when speaking English.

• Have you ever been to Italy? Many Italians would no doubt impress you as not looking at all Italian.

• Eastwood was also excellent in this film.

• Many Italians from mainland Italy don't look at all like the Giudician apes we're used to seeing in the US.

• Can you believe I lost to Susan Sarandon as a nun for this?

  M%20

• The book was so laughibly written, but I remember M gently noting the novel had its "own fans."

• That book was the 'Eat Pray Love' of its' time.

• God I hated that book so much that I wanted to burn it after I finished with it. The movie was only marginally better.

• The soundtrack is superb. Totally worthy even as a stand alone album without the movie connection.

• This is one of my top replies whenever a discussion arises about insanely good acting in films that don't deserve it. Although it's been awhile, I've actually sat through this movie just to get to that scene with Streep dying to leap out of the car and run to Clint. Gotta give him credit for giving Streep such a showcase.

• One of meryls top 5 roles. Love the end at the bridge and meryls haunting voiceover "go well my children" always puts a lump in my throat.

• OP, the husband was "patently portrayed as dull and awful" because that is exactly what he was supposed to be! The husband was supposed to be an Iowa farmer who is unknowledgeable, insensitive to feelings, dull, boring, uneducated, unworldly, limited, narrow, and clueless about the passion of love and lust or unwilling to engage in such. And the children were purposely played as boorish, simple, unschooled, unworldly, unknowing.

• And when the kids were adults they were purposely shown as still being limited in scope, narrow, provincial, and unknowing about the world.

• OP didn't mention the husband, but yeah, he was insufferably boring. I have to ask what would make a woman relocate from her homeland to a place like Iowa, with a boring, uninteresting farmer? My guess is that postwar conditions in Italy must have been so bad that any port in a storm would do.

• I love her moments with the dog. That relationship was very real.

• Hmmmm, I WONder how Glenn Close might have handled the role?

  Glenn Close Troll-baiter

• Here's Boticelli's Venus (thought to be modelled on Simonetta Cataneo Vespucci); does she meet your stereotypical view of what an Italian woman looks like.

  http://www.google.com/imgres%3Fimgurl%3Dhttp://www.djibnet.com/photo/3064670247-venus-on-the-half-shell.jpg%26imgrefurl%3Dhttp://www.djibnet.com/photo/1484/venus-on-the-half-shell-3064670247.html%26h%3D374%26w%3D500%26sz%3D121%26tbnid%3DdqUmxR77OtZ1

• They should have cast her:

  http://crazytop10.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/italian-nonna.jpg

• The car scene

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DAXiX5eN2OIA

• I thought of Angelica Houston for the female lead - she would seem more Italian. But Streep did lift up this dreck.

• I bawled like a baby at the end of this film. La Streep was superb. Brilliantly acted.

• "La Streep" sounds so wrong.

• La Streep, La Streep, la post nasal drip

  Miss%20Adelaide

• R6 "Giudician apes". Can't stop laughing!

• This has to win the award for fucking stupid frau movie of all time. Jesus, I can be a sap for a good story, and Meryl may well be God, but this one didn't have a single redeeming quality. Guess what, Mama had an affair with a photog. BFD. I nearly pulled my hair out and ran for the fucking door as they sat in their respective cars in the rain for 15 minutes weeping before pulling away. HATED THIS MOVIE

• Well, you're just a big ole marshmallow, aren't you R27?!