Gloria

This is kinda high concept for a Cassavetes movie: It’s Gena Rowlands (yay) on the lam from the mob (eh?) with a whiny kid (eek).

With a cat!

But then they lost the cast. Boo.

Now that’s a nice pan.

The kid is doing the best he can? But it’s pretty horrible.

Actually… the kid’s getting better… did they film this in sequence or something?

I love these shots of 70s New York.

Now that’s a hi tone hotel.

She’s tough.

There’s a bunch of things I love about this movie. Rowlands, of course, but also just random things like how they depict cabbies being totally unfazed by picking up dames that are waving guns around. It’s like a tough guy (and gal) New York fantasy… it’s great. And it’s fun.

But.

It feels repetetive? How many mobsters is Rowlands gonna stick up before the end of this? It’s not like any of those scenes are boring or anything, but they didn’t seem to… have any effect on the story?

I’m wondering what Cassavetes and Rowlands wanted to do with this movie. Is it just a goof they did to pass the time? Did they pitch a “straight” action movie and a studio paid them?

I’m just saying that this seems like a very odd movie in their oeuvre.

Ouch:

The young boy Gloria was protecting, played by John Adames, tied with Sir Laurence Olivier (in The Jazz Singer) for the Worst Supporting Actor Razzie award of 1980.

Gloria. John Cassavetes. 1980. ⚃