Cinema Arts Festival 2010

Sweet Memories: Award winner Shirley MacLaine dishes on Nicholson, Streep,Hepburn & the movies

The star and her critic, MacLaine and Leydon.
Photo by Carolina Astrain
MacLaine signs a portrait made by a fan, who presented a copy to the actressafterwards.
Photo by Carolina Astrain
Leydon and MacLaine talked to each other like old friends.
Photo by Carolina Astrain

A packed audience of weepy-eyed fans at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston gave Shirley MacLaine a standing ovation after the Saturday screening of Terms of Endearment, the Houston-based movie for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1983.

Looking like Hollywood royalty in a royal blue, sequined-collared suit dress, MacLaine sat down with Variety and CultureMap film critic Joe Leydon after being presented a genie-like statuette as the recepient of the Cinema Arts Festival's first Texas Film Award, and they spoke to each other like old friends during a conversation that lasted close to an hour.

MacLaine talked about working with Jack Nicholson, her Terms co-star, and how she enjoyed it, because he never played the same scene twice.

“One time he answered the door drunk, another time he answered it angry and another time he opened the door nude,” MacLaine said.

To MacLaine’s surprise, the actress who played a younger Emma, MacLaine’s daughter in the film, also made an appearance at the Saturday night screening. Jennifer Josey, after being introduced by Leydon, went up for a warm hug with MacLaine.

“You’re all grown up,” MacLaine exclaimed.

MacLaine’s relationship with Houston goes beyond Terms. Her daughter, Sachi Parker, lived in Houston for 10 years, during which MacLaine often stopped at Tony’s for a soufflé.

“I like the friendliness of Houston,” MacLaine said. “In Houston things are very solid, and it helps you discover creative things about yourself. Austin doesn’t live up to its reputation.”

For a while, Leydon and MacLaine went back and forth about old Hollywood gossip.

On Billy Wilder (who directed her in the classic 1960 movie, The Apartment)… “He didn’t like women very much. He was from Austria. He’d say, ‘Do that scene again, but take 15 ½ seconds out of it.’”

On Meryl Streep (her co-star in Postcards from the Edge)… “Meryl… I adore, she truly becomes [her character]. She needs to for her own sanity.”

On Anne Bancroft (with whom she had a classic knockdown, dragout fight in The Turning Point)… “Annie… I adored, too. [The movie's director] Herb Ross was tough on her.”

On Audrey Hepburn (her co-star in The Children's Hour)… “Audrey… I taught her how to cuss, and she taught me how to sort of dress.”

MacLaine admitted, “I don’t know how to act. I don’t know. I don’t know. I only read the scenes the night before. I like being in the moment.”

The actress says she’s thankful she had an easy career most of her time in Hollywood.

“Auditioning is one of the most humiliating things you can go through,” MacLaine said. “The struggle [after her big break] was with myself.”

The evening ended on a spiritual note, perhaps not surprisingly given MacLaine's New Age proclivities.

“You are in my dream,” MacLaine explained during a discussion with Leydon about her turn to metaphysics. “I always felt like I had an angel on my shoulder, that I’ve always been in line with my destiny.”

Following the talk, crowds swarmed the dream-woman. She signed several tickets, programs and even a portrait of herself.

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Don’t miss MacLaine in her new film, Bernie (2011), directed by Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater.

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Movie Review

New movie Friendship pairs Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in a bizarre bromance

Photo courtesy of A24

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin — a weatherman at a local TV channel — even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, many things in the story go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

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Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

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