White Palace

Some films you admire, while others make you feel good; and it always seems as if there are far more of the former than the latter. White Palace, based on the novel by Glenn Savan, is a fairy tale for adults, which propels its somewhat implausible premise past our analytic gray matter on the strength of charm, wit, and strong character development. Can a 27-year-old Jewish widow workaholic who thinks that a dustbuster is a great gift, and a 43-year-old tough-as-nails fast-food waitress with a Marilyn Monroe fixation find happiness in the modern world? When Max (James Spader) meets Nora (Susan Sarandon) in a bar, she gets him drunk, he drives her home, and she--for wont of a better phrase--takes advantage of him. Neither expect anything further the morning after. But Max, having been obsessed with the death of his young wife two years previous finds a new focus for obsession: Nora. How this odd couple faces the problems of differences in age, differences in social background, and definite differences in temperament makes for a wonderfully enchanting, yet very down to earth love story. Although "chemistry" is a much ballyhooed semi-critical term used to denote the effectiveness of a cinematic romance, it really does apply here to Spader and Sarandon (who, unfortunately, was overlooked in this year's Oscar nominations). Once the staple product of Hollywood, good romances are pretty rare today. White Palace is definitely modern movie love, with its fair share of steamy scenes, but it's roots are really old-fashioned romance. It leaves you with a smile on your face and hope in your heart. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--March 22, 2005--Universal, 103 min., R, $9.99--Making its second appearance on DVD, 1990's White Palace is presented in a good anamorphic widescreen transfer and a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, but with no extras (or even a DVD menu). Bottom line: a still solid offbeat romance presented at a budget price, this is still highly recommended.]