An Alan Alda Double Feature: Andy Reviews THE FOUR SEASONS & SEDUCTION OF JOE TYNAN on Blu-Ray

[AndyDursin]

THE FOUR SEASONS (1981) 7.5
THE SEDUCTION OF JOE TYNAN (1979) 7

One of my earliest movie-going memories was sailing up and down the coast of Maine with my parents during the summers of 1980 and '81. A few of the towns we'd anchor in had movie theaters and occasionally we'd end up rowing into shore and walking into an old-time neighborhood movie theater, like the one that happened to be playing THE FOUR SEASONS (108 mins., 1981, PG), the feature directorial debut of M*A*S*H's Alan Alda and by far his biggest box-office hit.

Now, I was far too young to really understand what was going on during this film, but I still remember the sight of Jack Weston's Mercedes crashing through the ice at the film's conclusion and people roaring with laughter – the kind that was infectious even to a not-quite 7-year-old.

While I remember that moment (and the theater itself) fondly, “The Four Seasons” hasn't circulated a whole lot over the years – surprising for a box-office smash that became one of the Top 10 grossers of 1981. However, just as Kino Lorber did with Alda's delightful follow-up feature, “Sweet Liberty,” the label has resurrected both comedies and given them new life on Blu-Ray, enabling many of us to appreciate the film again, and for the first time in high-definition as well.

Working from his own screenplay, “The Four Seasons” manages to offer profound insights into the nature of friendship while being simultaneously superficial in certain areas. The movie stars Alda and Carol Burnett as one of three married couples entering into middle age who vacation with one another – Rita Moreno and Jack Weston's pairing provide most of the comedic elements in Alda's episodic film, with the dramatic components coming in the surprise divorce of the third couple, played by Len Cariou and Sandy Dennis. In fact, after Cariou's character brashly takes up with a younger woman (the very fetching Bess Armstrong), the dynamic between the group shifts as surely as the seasons that mark the passage of time in Alda's movie.

There are a lot of laughs in “The Four Seasons,” some nice location filming from Victor J. Kemper (in Vermont, Virginia, Georgia and the Virgin Islands), and believable performances from the ensemble – though to be fair, Alda's writing, while being successful at conveying the movie's overall message (that if you want friends, you're going to have to put up with all of their idiosyncrasies), mostly functions on a “TV level.” Despite spending nearly two hours with these people, we know very little about how them and their backgrounds – especially the female characters, with the movie providing a thankless role for Burnett in particular. At one point Armstrong's character complains about being “the other woman” and not fitting in the group, yet outside of her own description, there's literally nothing the audience knows about her beyond this line. Beyond Cariou's reasons for leaving Dennis, the characters' motivations are scarcely examined, with much of the dialogue setting up punch lines or dramatic predicaments the group find themselves in. It's still a very appealing, warm and likeable film, even if it's mostly on a surface level.

“The Four Seasons” opened in Spring of '81 and played all summer long (hence my viewing with my folks), providing adult viewers with an oasis of alternative programming from an onslaught of genre classics that dominated the marketplace that summer (“Raiders,” “Superman II,” “Clash of the Titans,” “For Your Eyes Only,” etc.). This long-overdue 1080p master (1.85) from Universal looks a little aged but is generally pretty good, with a mono soundtrack, trailer/TV spots, and a commentary from journalist Bryan Reesman included.

Prior to Alda's triumph with “The Four Seasons,” he wrote – but did not direct – the political drama THE SEDUCTION OF JOE TYNAN (107 mins., 1979, R), another Universal title that makes its long-overdue debut on Blu-Ray this month thanks to Kino Lorber.

Alda plays a well-intentioned and generally goodhearted senator who juggles a number of situations involving his public persona and voting record – especially concerning a Supreme Court nominee with a checkered past – and issues at home involving his wife (Barbara Harris) and teen daughter (Blanche Baker). Complicating things is a civil rights activist (Meryl Streep) who brings more than her agenda to the table, and starts an affair with Tynan, who finds his life at home and in the public eye being increasingly split apart.

It's hard to envision a lot of “Joe Tynans” in Congress these days – but perhaps there never really were at the time of its production either, as Alda's view of D.C. and its assorted power players seem much more idealistic and Capra-esque than real. In Alda's drama, there aren't any conservative opponents with ideological disagreements – the politicians here range from old-school Democrats to new-school Democrats, which only detracts from what could've been a more fiery relationship between Alda and Streep's characters. The main sparks, then, are provided by Harris' frustrated and overly patient spouse who cares more about keeping her kids together than in advancing her husband's growing political ambitions – Harris, as always, is terrific here, and nearly all of Alda and director Jerry Schatzberg's most effective moments involve her character.

Very much worth a view on Blu-Ray despite its shortcomings, “The Seduction of Joe Tynan” here includes a competent Universal master (1.85) with 2.0 DTS MA audio. This isn't one of Bill Conti's more memorable scores from what was his most prolific period – and seems to have less to do as the movie progresses – while Kino has included the trailer, radio spots, and another commentary by Bryan Reesman on the supplemental side.