Always

Always (1989)

Runtime: 122 minutes

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, Brad Johnson (RIP), John Goodman, and for a few minutes, Audrey Hepburn

From: Universal/United Artists

At one point I supported a character who then... stuck a straw in his Twinkie?!

Earlier in the year, I realized that a few Spielberg movies should even be watched or rewatched by myself-that was the main reason why I experienced Hook for the first time in 30 years last month. This movie was part of a Universal Blu-ray box set I got from Amazon a few years ago during Prime Day because the price was too good for me to pass up. Having both Jaws and Jurassic Park in my collection was good enough reason right there, but the reason why I pressed “play” on this last night was a sad one. Co-star Brad Johnson passed away in February due to COVID yet that news only spread across the Internet two days ago. He mainly was in television, presumably in part because this motion picture was not a rousing success. Yet it's definitely not his fault that I was not a fan of Always, nor that he had to play such a goofus. Incidentally, the way I heard of his passing was (as happens often) a messageboard post where this person was sad because they knew Johnson from the late 90's syndicated show Soldier of Fortune, Inc. I don't remember that ever being a big deal in the United States but this person lives halfway across the world and I'll presume the show was a bigger success overseas.

I take no joy in bashing this movie-nor getting so fired up about it-considering that Spielberg and lead star Richard Dreyfuss bonded on the set of Jaws over a picture they both loved, 1943's A Guy Named Joe, which this is a remake of. The film meant a lot to both of them so I suppose doing their own version of it was inevitable. Some on Letterboxd (including a mutual) rate Always quite high so I also regret my negative opinion of the film, but this is one of the worst Spielberg I've ever seen.

Why does everyone act so bizarre? Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter play an annoying couple whose relationship is not exactly rock-solid. Not only is he a pilot who helps fight forest fires in a plane that looks straight out of the time that A Guy Named Joe was made, apparently he always flies so poorly (and not just him in the opening when he almost crashes because that jalopy runs out of gas!) that each time he's in the air she is positive he won't make it back home... he doesn't even know which day her birthday falls on! Your significant other will ALWAYS love that... well, Dreyfuss dies when his plane explodes, albeit after saving the life of his best buddy John Goodman. So, he's in a goofy version of heaven, where spirit Audrey Hepburn... gives him a haircut?! Don't ask me because I can't explain it. Anyhow, Richard has to spend time on Earth in what is best described as “the voice in your head” or the subconscious in your mind telling you what to do... he helps control Johnson's character and get this... he falls in love with Holly Hunter. Why, what are the odds...

This movie just perplexed me often. To steal a line, there is an Altman-esque scene where the other aerial firefighters lose their mind and just have to dance with Hunter because... she wears a nice dress?! Dreyfuss acted like a dick in the first act so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that in spirit form his behavior wouldn't change, to the point that he trolls Goodman a few times-yet for some reason that didn't make me suddenly warm up to him. At first I thought I would have to support Goodman as he tried to get his buddy a more life line of work. Then, the moment I referenced in the beginning where he sticks a straw in his Twinkie, because “comedy”? After that he YELLS at Hunter for how she's handling and processing her grief over the love of her life dying in a plane explosion! Her moving hundreds of miles away into an air traffic controller job was somehow not fine or acceptable for Goodman? WTF? So I guess I have to say that I most supported Old Holly, as I felt awful for her character in that scene, whether I was supposed to or not. This also has Keith David and Marg Helgenberger, but their roles were rather small. And if someone bet me a few dollars to try and explain the character that Roberts Blossom portrayed—that money won't be ending up in my wallet. I still have many questions concerning the movie's concepts of its world and especially the afterlife. I'm not exactly inspired to track down A Guy Named Joe to see if that universe is presented in a way that worked better for me.

This is rather maudlin and sappy, which IMO is not the director's strong suit by any means. Nor is goofy broad comedy, which we also got in Always. All that being said, it's not a movie I hated and there are some merits. At least this did not devolve into something completely aggravating w/ a Dreyfuss performance that turned completely sour like Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The cast is nice and they do try their best. It had a nice John Williams score, even if it's not one of his masterpiece compositions. And the forest fire finale was an impressive technical achievement. Of course, this is most noteworthy for being Hepburn's final role; her 1 million dollar salary was entirely given to UNICEF so that was heartwarming.

If this movie is a success for you and hits you right in the feels, more power to you. A movie concerning grief and attempting to get over the death of a loved one... that is a worthy subject and Lord knows I know how difficult that can be. It's a shame this did not work better for me; it still does not put a stain upon the positive opinions I have of the main stars or the director.