Sabrina (1995)

Starring: Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond, Greg Kinnear, Nancy Marchand, John Wood, Richard Crenna, Angie Dickinson, Lauren Holly, Dana Ivey, Miriam Colon, Paul Giamatti, Margo Martindale
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: When his playboy brother (Greg Kinnear) starts a romantic relationship with the chauffeur's daughter (Audrey Hepburn) that threatens a critical business deal, his older brother (Harrison Ford) steps in to try and woo her away from him.

Review:

Tim: I first saw Sabrina in the mid 1990s and I was likely 15 years old, or so. I remember liking the movie, but not nearly as much as I expected to. I thought it was good, but stuffy. Fast forward almost 30 years and I finally rewatched it. By this time, I'd seen the original film and had decades of experience behind me. And, I thought almost the same exact thing. The movie is good- absolutely- but it's too long, too slow, and never really delivers the needed emotional knockout punch. I liked the film from beginning to end, but Sydney Pollack's film has just enough flaws to prevent it from being something special. I didn't go into this expecting to feel the same reaction at 42 as I did at 15ish, but here we are.

The story itself is wonderful- it was powerful in the 1954 version and it feels equally as powerful in the 1995 version. There is a love triangle that emerges- a carefree playboy, an earnest, quiet, remarkable woman, and a man of immense wealth and power who has sacrificed so much of his personal life for his work. These are relatable, interesting characters in any time period because they capture something true about humanity. Even though I'd seen this movie before and I was familiar with the earlier version, this story still held my attention. There's something so intriguing and interesting about these three characters. Even when we know where the story is going, it's still enjoyable to get there. That's really the main appeal of this movie.

It helps that Pollack assembles a fantastic cast. I loved that Harrison Ford took the role of Linus. He's made so many genre films over the years, it honestly felt surprising to see him step into this dramatic, romantic role. Sure, he gets to play his gruff, normal character to an extent- but, here, he's also called to show some emotion. Not a lot of emotion, but it feels like it was outside of his comfort zone. I wouldn't call this among Ford's best performances- he's significantly more effective as an actor when he's playing to his strengths- but it was fun to see him do something a bit out of his typical roles. I thought overall, he did a nice job in the role. Julia Ormond is excellent. She never had the career she should have had, but I also don't know if he's ever been better than she was here. She works hard to channel Audrey Hepburn, but she adds more warmth and intelligence than you'd expect. The character of Sabrina here is formidable, and it's great fun to see Ormond play that role. Greg Kinnear is a scene-stealer as David. This role is perfect for him- he's dripping with charisma and a devil may care attitude. Kinnear's always had a penchant for comedy and he's able to deliver some terrific comedic moments here. The champagne glasses in his back pockets scene is absolutely a highlight- I clearly remembered that one, even decades later. The biggest appeal of the film is getting to see Ford, Ormond, and Kinnear play these three roles so well.

The supporting cast is good, but they are clearly far beneath the top three. John Wood had some nice moments- turning a smaller role into one of the most memorable. Nancy Marchand was fine, but I'm not sure she did anything here that a dozen other actresses couldn't have done. I've always liked Lauren Holly and I was really glad to see her here. I thought her character was interesting, so I was a little bummed that she disappears for so much of the film. The scenes with her are always better. It was also really fun to see Paul Giamatti in a very early career role- this is only his 7th job ever. He has just a few lines in a small, unremarkable performance. There's not much here to suggest he'd develop into such a powerful actor. Also, apparently Margo Martindale played one of the nurses here, but I must admit I missed her. The cast, though, as a whole is strong and one of the best parts of this film.

So, we have a great cast, a great director, and a great story. The problem is that it all plods along far too slowly. The fact that this movie is 2 hours and 7 minutes is crazy. I remember the slog it felt to get through the whole film in my teens and while the feeling wasn't as pronounced here, I still became fatigued before the film ended. By the time things are winding down, I was so ready for it to be over. Pollack is such a good director, but it feels like this movie gets away from him a bit. There's great moments throughout, but it needed to be tighter, leaner. Pollack allows so much time and space for things that it starts to feel a bit repetitive. It's so obvious where the movie is going- it telegraphs that clearly- but it it takes SO LONG for it to get there. That's not a lot of fun to watch. This is my biggest complaint about the movie. When it starts, it seems so good, so engaging. And then it plods along, never with a sense of urgency until you lose patience and start wondering when it'll be over. This drops your engagement level and it makes the whole film less effective.

Now, don't get me wrong- I still enjoyed Sabrina. But, I do think all the elements were here for it to actually surpass the original. Instead, it's very close and perhaps too close to call. This film did receive two Academy Award nominations- Best Original Song, and Best Music. That's more a testament to John Williams than to this being a great film, though. Not surprising, it didn't win either. So, I feel the same about this movie, 27 years apart- it's good, it has a great cast, but it's too long, too slow. It's effective, but it's stuffy- this movie is certainly not one I'd call "fun". I did appreciate getting the chance to watch this again, but it would likely need to be another three decades before I wanted to see it again.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Sabrina (1954), Out of Africa, The Mosquito Coast, As Good as It Gets