Difference between revisions of "Scent of a Woman"

Revision as of 21:18, August 20, 2010

Scent of a Woman is a movie starring Al Pacino. The plot is about a prep school boy who gets involved in a prank and is nearly thrown out of school, but that's just a framework. The real story is the student's relationship with the disabled veteran he's being paid to take care of.^[1] James Rebhorn turns in his usual excellent portrayal of an annoying authority figure. Look also for a young Philip S. Hoffman.

Charlie Simms is not going home from his expensive prep school for Thanksgiving, while his friends wonder whether to go skiing in Stowe or Sugarbush. He's on financial aid, so he applies for a job taking care of a housebound relative. Only when he gets there does he begin to find out what he's in for.

Ultimately, the film is about integrity and concern for one's fellow man, two important conservative values. Charlie is faced with two matters of conscience: does he tell on his schoolmates, save himself, and collect the reward of a full scholarship to Harvard? And can he stop Lt. Col. Slade from blowing his brains out with a .45?

Like many films of its genre, this one suffers from several flaws. The hero drinks, smokes, speaks profanely and cuttingly, and has estranged himself from his family; he lives by himself in a small building behind his his niece's house. He can be a real gentleman when he wants to,^[2] but his attempt to educate Charlie includes the anti-patterns of prostitution and suicide.

Charlie tries to reason with Slade, using liberal platitudes: "You're not bad, you're just in pain."

Notes

1. ↑ Roger Ebert wrote, "The screenplay is by Bo Goldman ... who is more interested in the people than the plot." [1]
2. ↑ "The Hollywood film takes great pains to show its protagonist as a kind-hearted, charismatic romantic who hides behind a gruff exterior." [2]