That Old Feeling - *

That Old Feeling

That Old Feeling is a one note comedy without a good note. When Molly (Paula Marshall) is getting married to a young politician, her wedding is the cause to reunite her divorced parents, actress Lily (Bette Midler) and author Dan (Dennis Farina). Lily and Dan hate each other’s guts, and haven’t spoken since their divorce fourteen years earlier. Their brief but heated argument early in the film provides the film’s only mildly amusing moment. But it soon passes as the heat of argument turns into the heat of passion, and Dan and Lily begin conducting a conspicuously obvious affair, and spend the rest of the film gazing lovingly at each other with moon-eyes. Their second spouses (David Rasche and Gail O’Grady) are outraged, and Molly’s new husband is mortified at the thought of a scandal wrecking his political career. Molly enlists the aid of a paparazzi (Danny Nucci) to track down her parents and talk some sense into them. If only someone had talked some sense into Carl Reiner, who directed this disastrous comedy. The film itself is over after twenty minutes, but it takes up another hour and a half anyway. You know exactly how things are going to end up, as the film is more blatant with its intended pairings than Dan and Lily are with their affair. And once Dan and Lily stop arguing, there’s nothing that really propels this film. You’re cast adrift for ninety minutes, through one agonizing scene after another. Its rather embarassing for all involved, and the audience as well.

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