Absence of Malice

The problem here is not an absence of justice but an absence of juice. Sydney Pollack’s film might have been a serious exploration of journalistic ethics, but in fact is redeemed only by the presence of Paul Newman. Now there’s a star -- he commands the screen even while hiding from view. Though there are wobbles in the script, and there’s less feel for the Miami locale than you would hope for, the real letdown is the female lead. Sally Field is just too perky to play quick, smart girl slowly and sadly learning wisdom. As the ambitious reporter, a Holly Hunter or Emily Watson or Samantha Morton would have been intense and conflicted enough to set off sparks with Newman and bring off the story. Sally’s too shallow to play callow. And the music is just awful, goosing nonexistent emotions. There are two highlights, however. The opening montage of putting out the newspaper, from newsroom to composing room to pressroom is a vintage look at a vanished world to which I’ve always been connected, in one way or another. And in the end, when Sally has messed her nest, she indicates she may go back to the paper where she started, The Berkshire Eagle. (1981, dvd, r.) *6-*