The Accidental Tourist

Starring:William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis, Amy Wright, Bill Pullman, David Ogden Stiers, Ed Begley Jr., Robert Hy Gorman, Jake Kasdan
Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A travel writer (William Hurt) struggles to move on after the death of his son, which crumbles his relationship with his wife (Kathleen Turner) and seems doomed to sink him, until he meets an eccentric dog trainer (Geena Davis).

Review:

Tim: It's an odd thing, to try and write about The Accidental Tourist. The movie might be faithful to the original book (I don't know, haven't read it), but many of the decisions made in the storytelling feel anti-cinematic. This is a movie that feels determined to follow its vision, even if that doesn't always translate into compelling storytelling. Now, that being said, despite the fact that I felt bored through long stretches of this film, there's something intriguing about a movie so focused on telling its story, with perhaps a bit of disdain for how the audience might interpret it. Lawrence Kasdan seems to deliver the movie he wanted to tell, and I respect that (even if I wasn't always engaged). The result feels like a good movie that I wouldn't necessarily be interested in seeing again.

I have to be frank, I struggled to connect to the characters here. However, I don't think that was accidental. Everything about this movie seems to purposely create distance. The protagonist is an emotionally distant man, but it's among the most emotional distance I've ever seen- we're talking Earth/Pluto here. William Hurt gives a good performance (I guess), but it's so stoic, so reserved, so clipped that it makes it hard to watch. It looks like it physically hurt Hurt at times to be so distant in his performance. We don't feel much for the character, except some vague sympathy for his loss. You more likely want to shake the character and wake him up. However, this is all by design. We're supposed to feel this way. Hurt doesn't seem good in the role, because it's such an odd performance purposely unengaging. However, that's intentional and you have to give him credit for sticking to it. Kathleen Turner is in a similar boat- she's not the most likeable character. You don't connect with her, you're not rooting for her. Whenever she shows up, you almost sigh and think, "Here we go again". But, similarly, that's the point. We aren't supposed to connect with her character. So, credit to Turner, for making sure we don't feel much for her here.

That brings me to Geena Davis, who likely had the most difficult role in the film. She's flighty, a bit crazy, awkward, weird. You first meet her character and she almost repels you- not with anything overpowering, just a general icky feeling. As the film progresses, though, you learn more about her. You don't completely change your mind about her- she's a weird character. But, you learn to accept her eccentricities, to forgive her for not conforming to our strict societal values. Davis plays this perfectly- she never abandons the awkwardness of the character, never reveals that the flaws don't matter- they are always there. It's just that you begin to understand and appreciate the character- just a little. You can see why she'd be repugnant to elitist jerks, but you can also see how she might connect with a broken and lost soul. I didn't like her character, but I grew to appreciate her in small ways. Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role here, and you have to give her credit for the way she brought this overly complicated character to life.

So, you have an emotionally nonexistent man, a complicated, cold wife, an eccentric weirdo. And, none of these characters are played for laughs. This isn't the recipe for a very compelling movie, especially when Kasdan is content with a plodding, slow boil story. The rest of the supporting cast makes little difference. I didn't think Amy Wright gave an especially good performance. I love Bill Pullman and you did feel a bit of pity for his character, but he's a pretty pitiful person overall. It was nice seeing Ed Begley Jr., but he's so on the margins of this film. I'm not making a compelling case for this movie, am I?

And, yet. Despite all these shortcomings, there's something intriguing about The Accidental Tourist. I may not have liked much of the movie, but there's these quiet moments where you see flashes of brilliance. You see that this is a dark character study of a group of broken, struggling people. There's no heroes in this film. It feels like it captures real life- and real life is often dull, boring, and populated with people you barely believe can exist- not for their strengths, but for their averageness. That might not make for the most engaging film, so you'll struggle at times during the 2 hour, 1 minute runtime.

While watching all this, it never feels like this was a production that got away from Kasdan. He delivered the movie he wanted to, and it's almost as if the film couldn't care less if you were bored. The point isn't entertainment, as much as giving you a view into authentic people and what their lives are like. Critics responded well, in addition to Davis' Academy Award win, this movie was also nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. I must admit, I don't see the Best Picture nomination as deserving. This is a good movie, but it's a challenging, flawed one. It wouldn't get close to my top 10 of 1988. I can see the Adapted Screenplay, if it did follow the book, despite limiting its overall entertainment value. And, I 100% agree with Best Original Score- John Williams does superb work here. The score is never overpowering, but it subtly adds to the dramatic effect continually throughout the film.

The Accidental Tourist is a bit of a confounding movie. While watching it, I experienced moments of intense interest and a lot of boredom. That's usually a killer for a film. However, there's something intriguing about all these proceedings, something subtle and interesting, even when the narrative isn't. You can tell this is a well-made film, despite not adhering to our expectations. The film does feature a brilliant and powerful conclusion, one that feels a tad surprising, but it also makes the journey feel worthwhile. That helps a great deal. You kind of smile and nod at the end, and think, "I get it, I see what you were doing the whole time." A great ending certainly helps lift this movie up. So, I'm not as much of a fan of The Accidental Tourist as many, but I did grow to appreciate this odd little film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Grand Canyon, Children of a Lesser God, Tootsie