Maxie is a childhood favorite of mine that used to get a lot of airtime on cable in the mid-80s, now largely forgotten. The basic premise is Jan, the uptight and conservative secretary of a San Francisco bishop, becomes possessed by the spirit of 20s jazz baby and starlet, Maxie Malone (played by Glenn Close in a dual role). Mandy Patinkin plays her hapless, yet gentle husband, Nick, and the whole movie deals with the shenanigans of Maxie's return to the living world. Ruth Gordon has a brief, yet touching role as Maxie's best friend Trudy. A pity there wasn't more of her in this film.
Maxie died in a car crash on the way to a movie audition in 1927, which could've potentially made her a star. The conflict arises because of Nick's strong attraction to Maxie and his love for his wife. Close (as Maxie) and Patinkin have plenty of chemistry and there was a part of me that wished Maxie took over completely and kicked Jan to the curb.
At times both the characters of Jan and Maxie were slightly irritating. I cannot explain why I felt that way, but I did at certain moments. Close is not one of my favorite actresses, but she does a decent job here. One of the best scenes is the blazingly white hot "Bye Bye Blackbird" number. Throughout the movie my allegiance switched back and forth between Jan and Maxie, so it was a bit disconcerting.
The problem with this film that I noticed now that I've seen it as an adult is the payoff is never really there. There's certain characters like the Ruth Gordon one that could've been expanded on more, the bishop talking about performing an exorcism on Jan, but we never see it, and other characters that are just "there" for no real reason and don't advance the story along any.
The end with Jan and Nick escaping the hotel in silly disguises was unnecessary. Although I love movies about the 20s, this film wasn't as enjoyable as it was when I was a kid. It's not a terrible film, but it could've had a lot more comedic potential. It's not a bad movie to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Maxie died in a car crash on the way to a movie audition in 1927, which could've potentially made her a star. The conflict arises because of Nick's strong attraction to Maxie and his love for his wife. Close (as Maxie) and Patinkin have plenty of chemistry and there was a part of me that wished Maxie took over completely and kicked Jan to the curb.
At times both the characters of Jan and Maxie were slightly irritating. I cannot explain why I felt that way, but I did at certain moments. Close is not one of my favorite actresses, but she does a decent job here. One of the best scenes is the blazingly white hot "Bye Bye Blackbird" number. Throughout the movie my allegiance switched back and forth between Jan and Maxie, so it was a bit disconcerting.
The problem with this film that I noticed now that I've seen it as an adult is the payoff is never really there. There's certain characters like the Ruth Gordon one that could've been expanded on more, the bishop talking about performing an exorcism on Jan, but we never see it, and other characters that are just "there" for no real reason and don't advance the story along any.
The end with Jan and Nick escaping the hotel in silly disguises was unnecessary. Although I love movies about the 20s, this film wasn't as enjoyable as it was when I was a kid. It's not a terrible film, but it could've had a lot more comedic potential. It's not a bad movie to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon.