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"You know, I have done some desperate, foolish things, come 3 a.m."
"You mean like being here with me?"
There's a fascinating tug of war at the center of Sea of Love. We have the conventional vs. the offbeat. The famous conflict, "Can I trust this person?" plus aspects like everyday people falling in love and a quip-ready sidekick are examples of the former. Then we have elements like the deeper than expected characterization and all in one plotting. Sea of Love is a murder mystery, love story and character study. Written by novelist Richard Price and directed by Harold Becker, it narrowly holds together.
Det. Frank Keller (Al Pacino), skilled and perceptive on the job, has a messy personal life. A divorced alcoholic, he's recognizing his age and loneliness. Enter Helen (Ellen Barkin), alluring because of her beauty, apparent kindness and charm. She's also potentially a serial killer targeting men who placed personals ads. We also have Det. Sherman Touhey (John Goodman), a likable everyman eager to work in Manhattan ... and human enough to cheat on his wife. Even the title song displays dual tendencies, going from its smooth Phil Phillips recording to a rougher one by Tom Waits.
"So should we dust your dick? You know, cover all bases?"
WARNING: SPOILERS
Roger Ebert didn't like the ending. He felt it messed with the rules of a whodunit. I disagree. The killer has to be Terry (Michael Rooker), Helen's ex-husband. I didn't want it to be Helen because it would be boring for suspicions we've been encouraged to have from the get go to be right on the money. For that matter, having it be Sherman or even Gruber (Richard Jenkins) would suggest a twist for shock value rather than one that's plausible. Also, once you know it's Terry, you can decide what works with his methods. I'm not sure trying to deflect the blame onto a young black man is as dated as it should be.
END OF SPOILERS
END OF SPOILERS
I keep my heart high upon the shelf/barren of other goods
I need another's arms to reach for it/and place it where it belongs
I need another's touch and smile/to fill my hut with songs"
Sea of Love is at its best when it's dramatizing things like attraction and everyday heartache. These were the moments where I was convinced Price was adapting a manuscript into a movie. They're not on screen for long, but potential suspects like Gina (Christine Estabrook) and the older woman (Patricia Barry) are unmistakably real, occasionally funny and occasionally heartbreaking.
Pacino and Barkin are excellent, engaging amid the tropes. I cared about Frank and Helen's relationship on either end of the crime story. I felt like every note was played, things like Frank's feelings manifesting themselves in insomnia or Helen being the type of woman who wouldn't accept "catch you later" and no kiss as a goodbye. I hope he's never stopped wearing shoes she's picked out.
"You still drink coffee?"
"Like it's going out of style."
"I'll buy you a cup if you like."
Recommended.
Thoughts:
-- Box Office: Grossing over $58.5 million on a $19 million budget, this opened at No. 1 and came in 22nd place for 1989.
-- Critic's Corner: "A really quite bad movie," Vincent Canby wrote. Ebert did love Barkin, calling her "one of the most intense and passionately convincing actresses" around. Hal Hinson had kudos for Goodman, who "has gargantuan talents, and this is one of his fullest, most robust performances."
-- If it wasn't obvious, my point about the reveal includes a dig at Basic Instinct. I thought of Joe Eszterhas during the scene where Frank and Helen meet at a market and it's implied she's wearing nothing under her coat. A few years later, they'd definitely be having semi-public sex.
-- Barkin and Goodman were both interviewed for Random Roles. While Sea of Love only came up in passing in his, she admitted not enjoying making the movie. Everything about it was wrong according to Barkin, but she did admire having Pacino "as my fierce, fearsome protector." AstralWeeks666 elaborated in the comments section, recalling an interview where she complained about how the sex scenes were filmed. One shot displayed her naked body except for her face. "It was a good insight into how an actress can feel exploited and degraded by a nude scene."
-- Awards Watch: Pacino scored a Golden Globe nod, losing to Tom Cruise for Born on the Fourth of July.
-- Hey, It's ...!: William Hickey, John Spencer, Barbara Baxley, and in the iconic role of "Black Guy," Samuel L. Jackson. Hickey's role was diminished for the theatrical release, but at least he ended up on screen, unlike Lorraine Bracco, whose work was restored for the TV cut.
-- Wonderful Town: O'Neal's Baloon (so named because New York state had a law against "saloons") is the setting for Frank and Sherman's dates. Located across from Lincoln Center and having previously appeared in Annie Hall, it's now the Atlantic Grill. I also noticed the marquees for Me and My Girl and Miracle Mile in the opening sequence.
-- Once you know Price wrote the role of Frank for Dustin Hoffman, it's hard not to see the last scene (which is good) as awfully similarly to the one in Tootsie. For that matter, this would make a fine double feature with Pacino's other wounded bird romance, Frankie and Johnny.
"within myself, like a hut within the woods "I keep my heart high upon the shelf "barren of other goods "I need another's arms to reach for it "and place it where it belongs "I need another's touch and smile "to fill my hut with songs Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=sea-of-love
-- Later This Weekend: Apartment Zero. Black Rain, The Big Picture and A Dry White Season are all on deck.
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