Up Close & Personal (1996)

Why so much hype?

Truly Dreadful Film

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

The acting in this movie is really good.

Up Close and Personal was released in 1996 and stars Michelle Phiefer and Robert Redford and tells the tale of an inspiring news- reporter named Tally(played by Phiefer)who gets offered a job by Wallace Justice(Robert Redford) after he seen an audition tape that she had for her job interview and ends up getting hired while later falling in love. But when Wallace has to travel far away for a while to do a news report will there love for each other be under jeopardy. Overall I have never seen this film before till now and I gotta say I really enjoyed it. The chemistry between Robert and Michelle was great,the story was very heavy with its news reports and on journalism and the life and death that comes with it as its not as easy as you think. With music from Celine Dion "Because You Love Me" and with a great cast that also includes Grease's Stockhard Channing and Michelle's sister DeeDee Phiefer. Try and track this film down and see what you think of it.Hankies at the ready for this one though as the climax towards the end of the film will have you in tears.6/10

Sally 'Tally' Atwater (Michelle Pfeiffer) is ambitious and green starting out as a local TV reporter in Miami hired by news director Warren Justice (Robert Redford) from her amateur tape. They fall in love as he grooms her rise from weather girl to star reporter in the newsroom. Agent Bucky Terranova (Joe Mantegna) recruits her to a bigger Philadelphia station. She struggles from jabs by jealous anchor Marcia McGrath (Stockard Channing) and unkind public judgment. Warren has been struggling himself. Sensing her despair, he goes to Philadelphia to help her recover.This is loosely based on the late NBC News anchor Jessica Savitch but it has more in common with the play Pygmalion. It's a bit too broad at first with Pfeiffer stumbling awkwardly to portray inexperience. It's so broad that it actually becomes off-putting. There is also the age difference but Pfeiffer and Redford are great enough to overcome it. The plot has much of the formula of a good romance but it just feels false. The actors' cinematic presence helps a lot. In the end, I don't feel it.

Very disappointing. I expected much more from a film that brings this much star power. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with it. Robert Redford was the usual Robert Redford, which is good. Lots of very good actors in supporting roles, like Stockard Channing, Kate Nelligan, Joe Mantegna, Miguel Sandoval, and Noble Willingham. Michelle Pfeiffer just never rang true in her role. And I am a big fan of hers, and think that she is a phenomenal actress. I just never could believe in her in this one. I suppose that the writing must be at fault somehow, although I cannot say exactly how, But by the middle of the film I found it boring.

(spoilers) Director Jon Avnet has failed meshing together a clichéd mess of a supposed romance in what is a particularly unfocused, tepid, and uninventive. About three-quarters of the runtime through, the movie mutates trying in vain to become a thriller and shedding it's serious romance stance. This is about the time that the movie loses it. The dialog is cardboard-ish "Days of Our Lives" type 90s crud. One of the other cringeworthy flaws of this movie, is the uncomfortable age gap between Phieffer and Roberts, a dubious and noticeable 20 year difference which looks quite tasteless bringing up obvious "Daddy" relationship questions. Steer clear of this dud. A failing 4.5/10