Finnegan Begin Again (Review One)

By Ayesha Haqqiqa

Synopsis: A fortyish art teacher is befriended by a 65-year-old newspaperman, who offers her advice on her ill-starred love affair with an undertaker. Friendship gradually changes to love, and the undertaker is literally left in the graveyard.

Sam's Performance: Sam plays Paul Broodbent, the undertaker, and shows he has a flair for physical comedy. He also shows how sexy he is in the opening scene, where he's in bed with Mary Tyler Moore, his lover. Since he's a married man, carping about his wife and kids is, of course, expected; Sam makes it believable-and funny. In one scene, he worries about being seen with his lover-in an ice cream parlor! But it's the physical comedy bits that are memorable-the coffin shooting out the back of his hearse, his drunken dancing at the undertaker's convention, and his dive into a very wet and muddy grave.

Must-see scene: The above scenes are very funny, but true Sam fans will want to watch his first appearance in the movie the best, since he's wearing nothing but a smile as he gets out of bed!

Rating: 1 Sam means you can't stand to sit through it once; 5 Sams means you'll want to buy the film and watch it over and over!

4 Sams

This is a very good, very watchable film; the only reason it doesn't get the highest rating is because Sam isn't in the film enough!

Shallow Love; Deep Love (Review 2)

What a nice story! Truly one of those that you'll watch more than once. The evolution by Mary Tyler Moore's character with a rather "make-do" romance with Sam Waterston's character, a scheduled "weekly appointment", bland romance affair, to liking and truly gently loving an older, warmer, tender, and dry sense of humor Robert Preston character, is so delightful!! There are many funny scenes such as Mary and Sam in that muddy grave, and Robert Preston announcing in an awkward moment that "I did your ironing". So Finnegan learns to write his advice column with new vigor and finds true love too. The kind of fluffy story that romantics love, like me! We bought this video because we're collecting Sam Waterston movies. We think he's always excellent in his roles, and this one fits the bill again. Mary is the main character, and she's delightful and the attractive widow who found comfy love. Ah-h-h-h!!