THE BOOK-Written by Anne Tyler, released 1985
THE MOVIE-Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, written by Kasdan & Frank Galati, released 1988
THE STORY-Meet Macon Leary, the incredible shrinking man. He writes his guidebooks, tolerates his siblings, and waits to die. Then the damn dog screws everything up.
MIND THE GAP-Of Anne Tyler's twenty-three novels, two have received the big-screen treatment. The Accidental Tourist came first and best, although in this case "best" stands for "basically entertaining, suitably tolerable." The First Lady of Baltimore Literature favors character-driven tales, heavy on family and light on story. Line for line, she's been one of America's outstanding writers for over fifty years.
The appeals lies in how easily, how artfully she puts readers into whatever world she's whipped up--even if said world isn't terribly interesting on the surface. The Accidental Tourist is, in truth, groan-worthy. Man struck by unthinkable tragedy is rejuvenated by a romance with an off-kilter woman. Oh, and he has three eccentric siblings. How'd I make it through fifty pages? The writing, of course, which is far smarter, far funnier than such a tired premise deserves.
Director Lawrence Kasdan (justifiably more famous as a screenwriter) recruited a cat burglar's row of actors. William Hurt is Macon, the timid hero of travelers nationwide who yearn for the familiar whenever in foreign land. There's a reason this movie broke Hurt's streak of Oscar nominations. His performance is restricted to a fault, borderline narcotized, and forbids the slightest glimpse of Macon's inner life. When he smiles at the end, I slammed my Mac shut and slapped a hand over my mouth.
Kathleen Turner is sadly de-fanged as Sarah, Macon's ex-wife-to-be. The aforementioned sibs are ably acted out by Amy Wright, David Ogden Stiers and Ed Begley, Jr. Likable as lemonade, goofy as an Arnold Palmer. Apparently the film belongs to Geena Davis, who actually won an Oscar for her turn as Muriel, a dog trainer tasked with taming Macon's recalcitrant Welsh Corgi (who steals the show, incidentally). Muriel is everything Macon is not: talkative, spontaneous, brash, a woman. Further, she's a sartorial shambles, a cosmetic cacophony. She and Macon are such a mismatch that their eventual coupling comes as a surprise only if you've literally never ready any story involving adults beforehand. Opposite Hurt's non-stop monotony, of course Geena's performance stands out. On rewatch, though, it's nothing special. Not to mention, "leggy six-footer" isn't quite how I envisioned Muriel.
No, Virginia, there is not a Taco Bell in Mexico City.
BETTER IN YOUR HEAD-The finest movies are filling meals. (Think scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuit and coffee.) The direst features are defective snacks. (Think an under-stuffed Combo, an eye-less Peep.) A mediocre film is a chicken salad sandwich: easily digestible, utterly forgettable. I've eaten many a chicken salad sandwich, but never without daydreaming of all the other, better ways chicken can be prepared and consumed. The Accidental Tourist is chicken salad on white bread. The book, at least, is on toasted wheat.
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