This 1979 Best Picture winner just seems “off” in 2021.
Arguably the best actor was Justin Henry as seven-year-old Billy, being tossed around by his mother (Meryl Streep—winning Best Supporting Actor) and dad, Dustin Hoffman (snagging Best Actor).
But—seen in 2021—the writing (director Robert Benton also penning the screenplay based on the novel by Avery Corman) is far too predictable and maudlin.
The highlight being the mandolin/guitar “street” musicians alongside a few dollops of Henry Purcell’s timeless art.
The other nominees (All That Jazz, Apocalypse Now, Breaking Away, and Norma Rae) were robbed, and like the ill-fated custody battle, should have had their day in court.
But perhaps many of the “learned’ Academy voters were no strangers to the perils of divorce themselves. JWR