`lrreconcilable differences' divorced from
A Movie Review by
Don Strausburger
Over the past five years,
Moral Majority groups have
spent a great deal of time em-,
phasizing the importance of
spending time with your
children, with little help from
the media.
With the release of the film,
"Irreconcilable Differences,"
however, the subject has been
brought into the spotlight.
The film stars Ryan O'Neal,
Shelley Long and Drew Bar
rymore as the Brotsky family,
a stereotypical Hollywood
family.
The action begins with Casey
Brotsky, an alienated eight
year-old played by Barrymore,
in the office of her lawyer plan
ning the case in which she wants
to divorce her parents. In epic
Greek style, the film then
flashes back to show the initial
meeting of Norman Brotsky
and Lucy Van Patten, played
by O'Neal and Long, the four
day relationship which leads to
their marriage, and early in
dications of how they ignore
Casey.
The flashbacks show the
development of the careers of
Norman, a film buff who longs
to be a movie director, and
Lucy, an aspiring writer who,
at the time, wrote children's
books. The two become a team
to write a screenplay for what
becomes a hit movie in which
time we see how they begin
spending less time with their
daughter.
As the public appearances
for their movie continue, the
viewer begins to see the grow
ing chasm between Casey and
her parents. In addition, a
chasm is beginning to grow bet
ween Lucy, who did most of
the writing for the film, and
Norman, who has been getting
most of the credit.
The couple finally splits leav
ing typically bitter feelings bet
ween everyone involved and
further separating Casey from
both of her parents. After the
divorce, Lucy takes advantage
of the time she now has and
begins to write a novel about
her experiences in marriage.
The book becomes a best-seller
and Lucy begins to spend all of
her time working and no time
with the daughter of whom she
won custody rights.
Eventually, the entire situa
tion becomes intolerable for
Casey and the idea of divorce
from her parents is introduced.
"Irreconcilable Differences"
is an interesting character
study; however, many of the
characters show evidence of be
ing stereotypical of people the
spectator expects to see in
Hollywood. Norman and Lucy
often appear to be classic tragic
heroes who are victimized by
their lives, rather than parents
who are not interested in spen
ding time with their daughter.
Casey, although portrayed
well, could be the role that
makes Drew Barrymore a
stereotypical actress. The role is
much too similar to her role as
the bratty sister in "E.T." This
is very unfortunate for Bar
rym9re who at the age of eight
could be the youngest typecast
star since Shirley Temple.
The characters lack genuine
emotion throughout the movie
with the exception of the end of
the trial scene. Out of nowhere
the film changes gears to deliver
a serious message after nearly
two hours of, for the most pgrt,
light-hearted drama. Until the
end, we see that Casey is suffer
ing from her parents' rejection
but are never given enough to
understand why she wants the
reality
"divorce."
"Irreconcilable Differen•
is, at times, a very interest
important film. However • I
attempt to equal recent hits
"Ordinary People"
"Kramer vs. Kramer," this
is only a cheap imitation.
film presents a topical s •
problem, but does not
able to handle it.