I've been a fan of Penelope Ann Miller's for some time, since 1992, when I was on a boat in Asia and I saw "Kindergarten Cop," totally by accident. Quite a story how I actually saw the movie, but since then I have watched her be in some good movies and some not-so-good movies. As for the latter, it's not her acting or the acting in the movies, it'd just that they are not good movies, and it saddens me because I have always wanted to see her shine!
And now, in 2001, I have finally seen the movie where she shines, really shines. It might be her best movie ever. I am very proud of her and am so glad that she won an award for it.
"Rhapsody In Bloom" is about a widower, Mitch Bloom, (Ron Silver) whose sister Lila (PAM) has lived with and raised his three children. The movie begins 5 years after Bloom was widowed. The point of conflict is that Mitch has met a woman he wants to marry, and all sorts of problems arise, because she is too meticulous, and the children are also very picky, and do not want a new mom. But Lila now has to examine her future. She has forsaken her passion as a painter and has no men in her life. Things seem very bleak for her if for no other reason that she has no one to support her, since her relationship with her brother is also tenuous.
One night, after a very bad date, she fortuitously (of course) happens to run into a repair man (Jack) who fixed the family's sprinkler system, played very well by Craig Sheffer. They eventually get involved, but it is done w/o haste, carefully, with ups and downs, but in the end, as with the movie itself, everything works out happily, not completely happily, but we are uplifted because life rarely turns out that way anyway, and it probably shouldn't given the differences among people in relationships.
One side note - the relationship between Lila and Jack is helped by their shared love of 40's music, and Jack actually plays a trumpet in a band. I once read an article about about Ms. Miller, written long before this movie came out, in which she said that she really loves this era of US history, the music, fashion, etc.!
This is truly a wonderful, touching movie, no violence, all in good taste - what a shame it was never shown in the theaters. I am going to recommend the movie to everyone I know who likes movies, and I recommend it to the reader of this review very highly!
