Verdict
Summary
A mature, but almost inconsequential drama with seasoned players, The Four Seasons is worth the watch simply because movie like this are not made anymore with this level of talent, but it’s merely a snapshot of relatable characters, and not so much a “story” as far as dramas go.
Plot:
A group of affluent friends periodically meet up for vacations, but when one of the couples breaks up, it creates a new dynamic amongst them that upsets the balance.
Review:
Lawyer Jack and Kate Burroughs (Alan Alda and Carol Burnett) host a vacation for their friends every season of the year, and for decades they and their affluent friends – including a dentist (Jack Weston) and his wife (Rita Moreno), and a wealthy and successful businessman Nick (Len Cariou) and his wife (Sandy Dennis) – have enjoyed each others’ company despite their differences and temperaments. When Nick confesses to Jack that he’s been a serial adulterer for years, it not only shocks Jack, but Jack feels betrayed, and when Nick leaves his wife for a much younger (and more attractive) woman (played by Bess Armstrong), Nick begins to include her on the group’s vacations, which radically alters the balance in the group. All of them focus in on Nick and his lover (who’s likable, but thrust into situations where she’s obviously not appreciated), and after several strained vacations in a row, there’s a big blowout amongst the friends where they’re all forced to face what has happened to them all and how they’ll move forward as individuals and as a group of longtime friends.
A mature, but almost inconsequential drama with seasoned players, The Four Seasons is worth the watch simply because movie like this are not made anymore with this level of talent, but it’s merely a snapshot of relatable characters, and not so much a “story” as far as dramas go. Alda also wrote and directed the picture, and he’s clearly having the most fun to the point where you can see his supporting cast being infected by his enthusiasm. It just doesn’t amount to a great deal, but I enjoyed it for being a movie about adults, for adults, and it had some very realistic moments in it that had me giddy.
Kino Lorber has just released The Four Seasons to Blu-ray, and it comes with a new audio commentary by an entertainment journalist, plus the trailer and some radio spots. The high definition transfer was nice and filmic.
