Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams

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Rob C This is a wonderful portrait of a middle-aged woman struggling to reconcile her life's disappointments. Woodward is at turns exasperating, hilarious, and trying so hard. The script is brilliant, witty and sad. "She used to leave hair on the soap", is how she summed up her sister. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/06/23 Full Review Cameron M A pretty directionless film about a subject, a depressed housewife, that seemed to be very popular in the 1970s but is very dated now. After watching other 1970s family drama films, such as Diary of a Mad Housewife, An Unmarried Woman and The Happy Ending, they all seem to blur together and to make matters worse Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams film does nothing new in the genre. The acting, like those other films, is what makes it stand out to a degree but that really isn't enough for me to stay invested in the film. The script and the direction of the film is pretty bad. The film doesn't know what subject matter to focus on so we go from sorting out the mother's estate to reminiscing about World War II with regrets about Woodward's character's son being inter-spliced throughout the film. The problem is that these subjects are never satisfyingly explored and go nowhere by the end of the film. Woodward and Sweeney give good performances as do the rest of the cast and were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Out of the nominees I have watched for Best Actress for that year, I don't believe Woodward's performance was as strong as the phenomenal Ellen Burstyn in The Exorcist or Marsha Mason in Cinderella Liberty. I also don't believe Sweeney's performance was as good as Tatum O'Neal (the winner) or Madeline Kahn's performances in Paper Moon or Linda Blair's amazing performance in The Exorcist. Overall, a forgettable, dated and directionless film with good performances but a story that's been done to death before and done better since. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/18/23 Full Review s r I'm not a fan of Woodward. I saw it for the NYC aspect and was let down. Saw it on TCM. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review steve d It works no better than the 100s of other times its been done. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Another example of early ‘70s "New York" cinema: emphasis on psychodrama, intense family emotions, complicated relationships. Slow at times, static direction, but honest performances. A chore. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Not uplifting but good drama here, Joanne Woodward never disappoints. She is a middle-aged housewife in NYC, married to World War 2 veteran Martin Balsam. When her mother passes away suddenly she begins to re-examine her life. There are no easy answers here, or "deux ex ma-china" moments wherein everything is solved and life goes on with a saccharine smile. As a couple, Balsam and Woodward are believable here, in a stab at saving his marriage Balsam suggests a trip to Europe. There are some interesting flashbacks here as he recalls the 1940's when he was a 20 year old soldier killing other 20 year old at the Battle of Ardennes. The scenery is evocative and atmospheric. Both are estranged from their lives, and children, but somehow manage to hold on. Woodward is always empathic, her scene as she has a quiet breakdown in the subway while remembering her deceased mother is believable.Both Woodward and Sidney were Oscar nominated for best actress and supporting actress respectively. Mercifully, they both lost.The fact remains that life has enough frustrations and even though dying is a part of it, we don't need the constant reminder. Get a life Ms. Woodward. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams

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