Few experiences are worse for cinephiles than films that are supposed to be great but end up as tragic waste of talents, resources and potentially great ideas. Plenty, 1985 drama directed by Fred Schepisi, is one such film.
The plot is based on celebrated eponymous stage play by British writer David Hare, who also wrote the screenplay. It begins in 1943 France where the protagonist, young British woman Susan Traherne (played by Meryl Streep), is stationed as secret agent helping French resistance against Nazi occupation. One night, during secret supply paradrop, she is surprised to find fellow agent codenamed Lazare (played by Sam Neill) with whom she would spend only a day, but that would be enough for passionate and memorable affair. After the war she works as clerk in shipping company, shares flat with young aspiring writer and bohemian Alice Park (played by Tracey Ullman) and has series of romantic relationships, including one with young and ambitious diplomat Raymond Brock (played by Charles Dance). Years later, the relationship with Alice’s former boyfriend Mick (played by Sting) goes very sour with Susan ending committed to mental hospital following nervous breakdown. She is brought from hospital by Raymond who marries her, but Susan’s outbursts and tendency to create public scandal began to hamper his career.
This was supposed to be an epic film, and viewer might conclude that from Fred Schepisi’s directorial style that prefers wide shots, use of locations in multiple countries and great care for props, costumes, sets and other period details that hint at subtle changes in British society, culture and fashion from 1940s till 1960s. Unfortunately, Meryl Streep happens to be the only good thing you could find in Plenty. Made in time when she was known more as an actress and less as an “Oscar”-winning machine, this film puts her undisputable talents to great use. She not only superbly deals with British accent (something that most of her American colleagues have problems with), but confidently portrays character who transforms from romantic idealist in her youth into bitter cynical woman additionally burdened with obvious and serious mental problems.
Unfortunately, all that talent seems to be wasted due to a script that fails to various weave various plot strands together. Plenty could have been a good drama that deal with phenomenon quite known to some who has experienced war – exposure to danger and excitement that makes their post-war civilian lives dull and unbearably frustrating. It could have been an interesting portrayal of the decline and fall of British Empire in the years following WW2. It could have been even more interesting exploration how that process manifested on various segments of British society. But, Hare failed in each and every of those tasks. His film script added new material to his play, but the end result was only to make almost every scene unnecessary melodramatic, full of pretentious and often incomprehensible dialogue and simply overlong. While Streep does solid job, most of other talents are tragically wasted. That includes Sting, one of the most charismatic 1980s musicians who is here almost unrecognisbale, burdened with terrible dialogue and even atrocious and utterly non-erotic sex scene. Tracey Ullman, one of British most popular comedians, is also wasted in what looks like unfinished role. Charles Dance is the mostly solid in somewhat thankless role of ultimately decent man who suffers because of being attracted to manipulative and mentally unbalanced woman. Sam Neill, New Zealand actor in one of his early roles, lacks much of needed chemistry with Streep and their scenes together which also include quite non-erotic depictions of sex. John Gielgud, who is supposed to give extra gravitas to the plot, isn’t served well by text that depends on viewers’ familiarity with distant history subject like Suez Crisis. Ian McKellen as Brock’s sinister superior, gives somewhat good impression, but not enough to change ultimate verdict of this film. There were plenty of reasons why this could have been a good film, but very few are left for anyone to waste nearly two hours watching it.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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