The Accidental Tourist
Another one of those movies which fell through the cracks for me over the years, Lawrence Kasdan's The Accidental Tourist is perhaps best known for launching Geena Davis to stardom with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. It's easy to see why she stood out in a cast of characters of whom almost all are reserved and introspective to a fault. That's particularly true for Macon Leary, the title character played with usual brilliance by William Hurt, who writes travel guides for the reluctant traveler and whose whole persona is built on being invisible. Everyone but Muriel (Davis) is so extremely reticent that finding any depth to their characters is a real struggle, even though it obviously exists. Either Kasdan and co-writer Frank Galati couldn't figure out how to pull the life out of these people, or Anne Tyler's novel (which I haven't read) never gave them any. Whatever the case, it's a cold and sterile affair. Even the subplots surrounding Macon's eccentric family and the surrogate father/son relationship he develops with Muriel's son suffer from the same lack of energy he does, making The Accidental Tourist an antiseptic film held together on the strength of its performances.
- July 18, 2007
DVD Details/Extras
A pallid Dolby digital 2.0 soundtrack; 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen; an insightful introduction by Kasdan which adds more perspective to the film than the script or his direction does; scene-specific commentary from Davis; deleted scenes; "It's Like Life" featurette.