Starring Bette Midler, James Caan, George Segal, and Patrick O'Neal
Directed by Mark Rydell
Music and Lyrics by various
We honor the passing of tough guy character actor James Caan with this vehicle for him and Bette Midler. The story of a woman who devoted her life to entertaining soldiers with her partner, even though war continually brought her tragedy, would seemingly be a perfect fit during the ultra-patriotic Gulf War. The movie wasn't a success then, but how does it look now, as the US pulls away from another war? Let's begin with preparations for a TV special to honor beloved USO entertainer Dixie Leonard (Midler) and find out...
The Story: Dixie refuses to come to the show, and explains her reluctance to a studio assistant (Arye Gross). She began as a singer who was contacted to perform in the Pacific with then-popular comedian Eddie Sparks (Caan) during World War II. Sparks claims her humor is too coarse and tries to have her fired, but in reality, she was a bigger hit with the soldiers than he was. Her comedy writer Uncle Art (Segal) convinces her to stay.
Eddie and Dixie are a big hit with the men in uniform. He even brings her soldier husband onstage in the North African desert. Sadly, that's the last time Dixie sees him, as he dies before the war ends. She continues appearing with Eddie only early television, but their relationship is fracturing, even before he says they've signed up to play for the boys in Korea. She doesn't like how his drinking and playing around is influencing her son Danny (Brandon Call). In Korea, Eddie finally fires Art when he shows Communist sympathies, enraging Dixie, who refuses to work with him again.
Fifteen years later, Dixie's back with Eddie, this time playing a Christmas show for all of the soldiers in Vietnam. She's mainly there to see the now-grown Danny (Christopher Rydell), who followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Army. Sadly, her reunion with her son and her tour-of-duty there ends in tragedy, leaving her to wonder why she keeps on going. It's Eddie who gives her the answer at the TV special, and reminds her why singing "for the boys" means so much to both of them.
The Song and Dance: Midler was Oscar-nominated for her brassy, sassy performance here. She's having the time of her life, whether she's tossing out raunchy patter with Caan or gently crooning a ballad for an audience of eager soldiers. The sets are so authentic, many of them were filmed on actual military camps before the real-life "boys" were shipped overseas for Desert Storm. Segal and Rosemary Murphy come off the best of the supporting cast as Dixie's opinionated uncle and a stuck-up gossip columnist in the Korean War segment who is frequently the butt of jokes.
Favorite Number: We open with Midler and two other women singing a rousing World War II Hoagy Carmichael number, "Billy-a-Dick." She really goes to town at her first USO concert with the swinging "Stuff Like That There," which morphs into a bluesy version of "PS I Love You" after the stage spotlights go out. Eddie hams up his "I Apologize" at a club in England when he's telling Dixie he's sorry for trying to fire her. "I Remember You" and "Dixie's Dream" are performed twice, during their North African World War II show and later on their own TV program. Dixie sings the Johnny Mercer ballad "Come Rain or Come Shine" in North Africa, right before her husband comes onstage.
The old 20th Century Fox musicals number "Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish" becomes an intentionally corny routine for their TV program, including girls in Technicolor harem costumes doing a kickline and Eddie and Dixie popping out of huge "jars." She sings one of the Beatles' most famous songs, "In My Life," in a quiet and touching moment with the boys and a few war orphans in Vietnam, just before the explosions begin. Listen for Midler singing the hit Diane Warren ballad "Every Road Leads Back to You" during the end credits.
Trivia: Those real-life soldiers were sent out to Desert Storm so quickly, their ranks had to be filled out by civilians in some scenes.
Movie debut of Vince Vaughn as one of those civilian soldiers; also look for Billy Bob Thornton as a Marines sergeant.
Martha Raye claimed Midler's character was based after her and tried to take the case to court, but it was ultimately thrown out.
What I Don't Like: Caan fits in no better here as the Bob Hope expy than he did in Funny Lady twenty years earlier. He's a good singer, but he's just not comfortable in musicals. Christopher Rydell was likely hired because he was the director's son, not due to any acting ability. He's stiff as Danny, especially when he's supposed to be delivering a bitter speech on the horrors of war after his mother's arrival in Vietnam. They should have been more careful with the choice of songs, too. Some of them are anachronistic; "Come Rain," for instance, was written in 1946, more than a year after the war ended.
Frankly, the movie is too darn long, especially in the second half during Vietnam. It did not need to be over two and a half hours. A lot of the slower sequences, especially with Danny, could have been cut or trimmed. Heed the R rating, too. There's a lot of swearing (including the F-word onstage), and plenty of realistic blood in the war sequences.
The Big Finale: Worth checking out if you have time on your hands and are a huge fan of Midler, Caan, or "through the years" type stories.
Home Media: Out of print on disc; streaming is by far your best bet.
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