White Palace | Susan Sarandon, James Spader

White Palace | Susan Sarandon, James Spader | one of my favourites

DVDs:

White Palace

	White Palace Susan Sarandon, James Spader Universal Studios, 2005 average customer review:based on 31 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Lust turns to love for a 40-ish working-class woman and a 20-ish yuppie adman with little in common. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 03/01/2005 Starring: Susan Sarandon Jason Alexander Run time: 103 minutes Rating: R Director: Luis Mandoki

Some Like It Hot

Max Baron (James Spader) is a nice twenty-seven-year-old Jewish boy drowning in grief and self-pity over the untimely death of his wife. When he gets shorted at a White Palace on cheap hamburgers he picks up for a bachelor party of his best friend (Jason Alexander), in a fit of self-righteousness, he returns to the hamburger joint to demand justice and meets forty-three year-old Nora Baker (Susan Sarandon). The rest is, as they say, herstory since this captivating film is all about Nora. She identifies with Marilyn Monroe (she has posters of Marilyn all over her messy apartment and reminds Max that she has a similar name as Norma Jean Baker). Beneath all her bluster is a woman living on the edge. She mourns the death of her only child, but Nora is a survivor.

James Spader was thirty when he played in this movie although he looks about eighteen; and we forget that he is really the slightly twisted Alan Shore from the television series "Boston Legal." Susan Sarandon recreates the role she did so well in "Bull Durham," the older woman bedding the younger man, Tim Robbins. As the whole world knows, those two have been together since that movie as mate and mate. She and Spader engage in some of the hottest sex scenes you are likely to see that are every bit as torrid of those in "Body Heat" between William Hurt and Kathleen Taylor and Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie in "Don't Look Now."

Director Luis Mandoki manages to turn the Cinderella story on its ear in the character of Nora and asks the question if love can survive this wide an age difference and class chasm. We certainly hope against hope that it can, if seldom in life, then at least in this movie.

for more information click here

one of my favourites

This is one of those movies that you can watch over and over again. A feel good movie that is one of the best around. I love it.

"What you see isn't always what you get!"

I remember watching this movie long ago and I'd forgotten how sexy Susan Sarandon can be. Because of her age, (and market pressure of course) Sarandon may never be marketed or packaged and sold as sex symbol; but she should be. In White Palace, Sarandon proves my personal inclination that older women have a deliciously ample level of depth capturing and conveying the essence of a womans true sexual prowess. Or maybe this is simply evidence of my admiration for older women. In any event, this is a classy and giving love story that smolders from start to finish.

for more information click here

MISPLACED INDIGNATION, NOT AN OSCAR TICKET

I'm usually amused by movies with Spader in them, not that his character changes much from movie to movie, but then why change a good thing? Likewise for Susan Sarandon who's good as well, though I definitely don't agree with the Amazon reviewer who calls this Oscar material. Or I don't know - maybe this is what the Oscars are all about ... which isn't saying much for the Oscars. This woman had no social graces at all! First she backs old James into a corner over bringing her to Thanksgiving dinner, and then when he finally does, she manages to insult everyone at the dinner - and we're supposed to sympathize with her? She was just rude. And while the party goers WERE rich and somewhat trite, no one was actually rude to her (except his mother - but this seemed to be her personality with everyone). So for all the righteous indignation speeches made by Sarandon's character in other people's homes: A. I didn't beleive it, and B. it seemed misplaced. Or I should say, I didn't beleive it because it seemed misplaced. This is supposed to be the result of her inferiority complex for being a fast food worker and 15 years too old for James. Still, the family should have scorned her more or really looked down on her so that her working class indignation could have seemed more warranted - as it was, I didn't buy it. No one had time to justify her inferiority complex - she was too busy insulting everyone! Not what I'd call a moving performance. But then she's not expected to be reasonable - this is 'drama' after all, not the girl scouts!

And still, this wasn't a bad movie. Predictable most of the time, yes, but the story does move along once it gets going. And there are some good just-this-side-of-the-R-rating love scenes which give Sarandan time to make up for what she didn't show in Rocky Horror Picture Show.. which brings up another issue - while Sarandon isn't in the flower of her youth, she's still looking pretty good here, and she's no dummy either. BUT - we're supposed to beleive this hottie's working at a burger joint at 44? MAD magazine would have had a field day..

Finally though, if you like Spader and Sarandon as actors then you'll probably like this movie. Not incredibly beleivable, but then "Love is a wonderous thing". Better than 3 stars so I have to give it 4.

for more information click here

Susan Sarandon is great; movie isn't

Susan Sarandon gives such a strong performance that the "TV Movie" quality of her vehicle is secondary. She doesn't transform the material; she just acts brilliantly, and manages to convey her personal enthusiasm for the sensuous and complex character. Interesting that she doesn't assert the "Older Woman mystique" here. That pupil dilating element flows naturally.
Of course, in the proverbial real world, her beauty and wit would have gotten her at least to the Management level in her work setting - a place (in the movie world) Max Baron (played in low gear by James Spader) would deem as common - revealed by his presumptuous confrontation over the missing burgers.
And, so, the socially/occupationally upwardly mobile White Collar Max makes a date with the stagnant but self-aware and content Blue Collar Nora.
Sarandon's approach is so subtle here that the viewer is challenged to decide if Nora's love of Max is real, or at least as deep as his is for her. Or are they merely joyful that a void has been filled? The electric shock of their passion is felt by the viewer - I'm reminded of movies like "The Owl And The Pussycat", "Bodyheat", or "Atlantic City", Sarandon's gem of a movie in which she plays a somewhat similiar role, though one of insecurity and naivete - when I reflect on this film. The relationships in those three efforts are essentially *wrong*, also.
Max brings Nora home for a big family dinner. The aristocratc guests do not exactly give her a warm welcome. Sarandon maintains her dignity while she is baited and while Max can't seem to find anything creative to say or do, as his Advertising background fails him in the clinch.
Jason Alexander has a supporting role - none of his post-1994 "Seinfeld" energy is found amongst these celluloid frames.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

products you might be interested in