Pennies from Heaven 1981
Steve Martin became a huge star in the late 70's and could do no wrong. Pennies from Heaven came out in 1981 and dispelled that. It was only his second movie as lead after The Jerk, but was a box office bomb. One problem is the movie is pretty depressing, about a lying, womanizing salesman (Martin) who dreams big. He impregnates a nice school teacher (Bernadette Peters) who then becomes a prostitute. Then he is accused of rape and murder of a blind girl. Having fun yet? Martin would play more serious roles eventually, but seems obliged at this point to still throw in some wild and crazy stuff that doesn't fit the role. The movie has a lot of songs in it, generally the original recordings of depression-era songs with the actors lip synching and dancing. Those numbers are impressive even if I am not crazy about the actual songs. A dark movie can work certainly, but a dark musical is a taller order. It is somehow still watchable. I knew it was going to be depressing, which I think helps, but it is also just cringey, which is hard to like. It is a curiosity and I could see how some people might really like it, but it didn't work all that well for me. I'm giving it a B- though because I think it still took some artistic audacity to make this kind of film. Martin and Peters are good in it and a young Christopher Walken gets a song and dance number where he strips down to his boxers.
Written: 03 Nov 2024
Owned on: Digital