The Prince of Tides

source: The Prince of Tides

I recently read the book, Prince of Tides, and it was wonderful, so I decided to give the movie a shot. I was extremely disappointed. The main character, Tom Wingo, is supposed to be an intelligent but troubled man, burdened with his past and hides his emotion through humor and sarcasm. Nick Nolte instead came off as having swallowed a bottle of Adderall, then trying, and failing, to do a comedy routine. I was also unmoved by his "emotional" scenes. And Barbara Streisand as the unhappy psychiatrist who doesn't realize her own beauty and inadvertently seduces Tom while trying to coax out his emotions? No offense to Babs, she is an excellent actress, but not meant for this role. Furthermore, while I understand the movie couldn't possibly portray every part of the book, the parts it did choose were random and failed to capture the true story. For instance, there was an entire story behind the rape scene that wasn't explained, nor was the part where Lila takes young Tom to the rich guy's house to apologize. Savannah Wingo, the character who half the story is supposed to about, wasn't developed nearly enough. Pat Conroy is a beyond excellent writer whose works could never be fully captured by a movie, but this movie didn't even seem to try. I'd stick to the book.

I really loved this movie, I'm not especially a Barbra Streisand fan, but I loved that one. I've read some really negative comments, and I was sorry, but everyone has a right to express himself. I found Nick Nolte really good, completely different from the 48 Hours series, and right for the part of a troubled guy. I must admit that I'm particularly drawn to big bears who love their children, hide their feelings and eventually get out from the ivory tower they were caught into. Nick Nolte is just that. I intent to read the book right away, I didn't know there was one. I've seen it many, many times, and each time I watch it, I find something new that makes me like it all the more. And no matter what people think, I think that Barbra gave a really good performance. I admit that her part "resembled" her part in The Mirror Has Two Faces, but it didn't trouble me more than that. I'm not a professional, but I think it was well directed, and the soundtrack is just great.

Like most of movies where Streisand has a stake as a director and/or producer, she ruins a film that had a lot of potential. Her directing is amateur level, lots of technical mistakes, continuity problems and vanity close-ups on herself when the focus should be on another actor. Streisand is typically miscast in this role (she has a terrible track record over the last 20 years or so in picking her own roles). Nick Nolte triumphs despite the horrible direction and having many of his most important moments sacrifices for Streisand's vanity.

Pat Conroy adapts a novel about a dysfunctional SC Southern family's traumatic events, with Barbra Streisand, into an Oscar-nominated intense role for Nick Nolte, who plays the leading man (Tom Wingo), to Streisand's (Susan Lowenstien) leading woman, NYC psychiatrist. The beginning twist is, Lowenstien is Wingo's sister's shrink who Wingo finds accidentally after his sister's suicide attempt. Wingo is not Lowenstien's client. Wingo agrees to help Lowenstien by giving her family background information to help his mentally suffering sister. It becomes harder to recall that he's not her client when his post-traumatizing repressed memories are brought forth by Lowenstien in such ways that they expose his own mid-life crises & Lownestien's. Healing each other through their therapeutic talks, Lowenstien & Wingo begin to become romantically involved. They go so deep with each other mind to mind that it seems only natural that they express themselves to each other in physically tender ways, as well. Though the film's climax involves memories of childhood post-traumatic sexual violence & their romance is bittersweet, Streisand, once again, directs another stellar film. She treats a very difficult theme, that is cinematically understudied as carefully (or perhaps carelessly over-studied), with the utmost tenderness as both a psychiatrist in role & a director. This time, her real son plays her real son (and a violin). Yes, for this movie, one does break out the violin.

I personally really like Barbra Streisand, and I think that this is a very good movie, even if not particularly for her own presence. The story is touchy and involving. The screenplay is well written and never exaggerated or out of track. Even the final cliché of the two main characters falling in love with each other is pretty well portrayed. Probably because it doesn't just happen during the final-five-minute-scene, but is developed enough to make it believable and not ridiculous. The soundtrack, by James Newton Howard, is lovely and really fulfills and underlines the whole movie. Technically, the finest work is done by the cinematography, which is warm and wrapping. The entire cast is good, especially Nick Nolte, who is very believable and delivers a great performance. Barbra Streisand is great behind the camera but only good in front of it. Playing the role of a rich, sophisticated, and independent woman she is kind of playing herself. Indeed, she is at her best when she doesn't have to deliver any line. Unarguably, because her charming presence by itself is enough to fill up the entire screen. She was probably too busy worrying about the way she looked than anything else. This probably wouldn't have happened if someone else were directing her. But then again, in that case we probably wouldn't have enjoyed her sweet and profound point of view.

This is a poignant movie done with the usual excellence that Barbra Streisand is known for, both in subject matter and acting ability. Nick Nolte manages to convey both the recipient and the facilitator of the healing process with depth and believability. Their chemistry is challenging and enjoyable to watch. Some of the scenes that depict early memories may be dangerous trigger points for people who are still in the healing process, but they are handled with care and a gentle touch. This movie will help you believe that healing can become a reality in your life, if only you are willing to do the work. It helps those that are in pain reach for that place where peace exists. I would recommend this movie to anyone that is in the healing process, as well as to anyone who simply enjoys a well-constructed drama with plenty of humor thrown in for good measure. This movie will make you think, and it will help you heal. An excellent movie - one that I now own in my movie library. See this movie!

The movie should have focused solely on the psychological make-up of the Nick Nolte character, Tom, or of his mother. Instead we gets tons of the usual New Yorker vs. Southerner dialogue, a silly romance between Nick and Barbra which serves no purpose, a pointless interaction of Tom with Lowenstein's son. The childhood events of Tom and his family were so intense that the secondary plots were fluff. On top of that, the "yelling" school of acting was sometimes employed. When you can't think of any good dialogue, simple have the actor rant and rave loudly way out of proportion to the issue discussed. Exactly what made Tom lose and gain back interest in his loving family was really important but not really explained.

The powerhouse performance by Nolte as a man troubled by his past carries this film version of the Pat Conroy novel, as brought to the screen by Streisand. Barbara is miscast as Nolte's shrink and love interest. Her work behind the camera is much better here and sadly it was not acknowledged by the Academy with at least a nomination.