Review of Tempest

Tempest (1982)
7/10
A Worthy Interpretation
14 September 2014
A sobering mid-life crisis fuels dissatisfaction in Philip Dimitrius (John Cassavetes), to the extent where the successful architect trades his marriage and career in for a spiritual exile on a remote Greek island where he hopes to conjure meaning into his life - trying the patience of his new girlfriend (Susan Sarandon) and angst-ridden teenage daughter (Molly Ringwald).

This is, of course, a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare. Other than Caliban, the names have been changed and there was no architect or movie stars in Shakespeare's work that anyone can recall.

The film has the distinction of being Molly Ringwald's debut, and she gets more than a little screen time and gets to sing, too. Many may not know, but Ringwald and her father are jazz singers, and this was always her first love. Her character in the first half of the film is nothing special, but she shines once the film moves to the island. Did John Hughes see this film? Raul Julia may be at his finest here, and Cassavetes excels at being angry (he seems to fly off the handle in almost every film he appears in).
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