US (1981): Drama/Comedy
Writer Ernest Thompson, who came up with the original stage play and adapted it for film, is lucky to have two giants of the screen give dignity and breadth to his sometimes trite dialogue. Henry Fonda, in his last role, plays a prickly English professor at the disagreeable age of 80. Visiting his summer house by a Maine lake with his wife (Katharine Hepburn), the old man forges an unlikely bond with a lonely boy (Doug McKeon), comes to terms with his daughter (Jane Fonda), and suffers disorienting effects of mild dementia. Even playing a tired old man, Fonda is an absolute lion of a movie star, and Hepburn brings her special spirit to the part of his worried bride. The cast also features Dabney Coleman and William Lanteau. The onscreen relationship between Henry and Jane Fonda naturally makes one think about their much-discussed difficulties offscreen, but that's a side benefit in a movie that is really just a celebration of simple human decency. Directed by Mark Rydell. (Tom Keogh, Amazon.com)
10 nominations, 3 Awards
· Actor 1981: Henry Fonda
· Actress 1981: Katharine Hepburn
· Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium) 1981: Ernest Thompson
· Best Picture 1981: Bruce Gilbert - Producer (ITC Films/IPC Films, Universal)
· Supporting Actress 1981: Jane Fonda
· Directing 1981: Mark Rydell
· Cinematography 1981: Billy Williams
· Film Editing 1981: Robert L. Wolfe
· Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Score) 1981: Dave Grusin
· Sound 1981: Richard Portman, David Ronne
