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Always (1989)
Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, and Brad Johnson. Cinematography by Mikael Salomon. Edited by Michael Kahn. Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Steven Spielberg. Written by Jerry Belson. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Pete Sandich (played by Richard Dreyfuss) is a pilot who fights fires in Yellowstone National Park. He has two significant people in his life: one is his best friend Al (played by John Goodman), who also works as a firefighter, and the other is his girlfriend Dorinda (played by Holly Hunter), who watches over them both in the control tower. Pete is killed in a plane crash while saving Al from a burning wreck and he travels into the afterlife.
There he discovers that he is to become a guardian angel to an up and coming pilot named Ted (played by Brad Johnson). Pete initially struggles with his assignment when Ted tries to replace him in the Forest Service, but soon finds it unbearable when Ted tries to replace him with Dorinda.
Always is a remake of a Victor Fleming film from 1943 called A Guy Named Joe. The original film starred Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne and was set in during the Second World War. Instead of a firefighter our protagonist was a combat pilot and instead of crashing his plane in an act of heroism he was shot down in battle. But basically the two films run through the same checkpoints to get to a similar ending.
Steven Spielberg grew up watching A Guy Named Joe on late night television and cites it as one of his major influences in the decision to become a filmmaker. On the set of Jaws Spielberg discovered another closet fan of the film in Richard Dreyfuss and the two would toss lines of dialog from the film back and forth between takes. So when Spielberg decided to remake A Guy Named Joe, Dreyfuss seemed a perfect fit for the role.
Always was first adapted by Diane Thomas, but when she tragically died in a car accident in 1984, Jerry Belson stepped in and finished the script. Spielberg intentionally shot the film with touches of anachronism, which lends it a timeless feel. And to his credit, the sight of a lumbering WWII bomber soaring over blazing timberland really is pretty spectacular.
But there’s no question that the film lacks a significance that was given to its predecessor. In the 1940’s thoughts of loved ones dying in battle and looking over us from beyond the grave was soothing and romantic. While Always never claims to operate at that level, the characters involved in its love triangle never demand a level of emotion that warrants us becoming overly involved in their story. And unfortunately critics and audiences seemed to agree. The film was a bust in the reviews and suffered at the box office. In the end, Always gives us a nicely put together film that never claims to be more than it is and probably deserves a little more credit than it receives.
Budget: $29,500,000
Total US Gross: $41,843,630
Genre: Romance
Runtime: 106 Minutes
US Release Date: 12/22/89
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Awards: none
Tagline: They Couldn’t Her Him. They Couldn’t See Him. But He Was There When They Needed Him… Even After He Was Gone.
Quote: “I miss him too! I miss him too! I miss him every day. I loved him like I've never loved a guy, and I don't love guys. You don't have an excuse, you quit. You quit, you gave up. He never quit on anything until it killed him, and that was his way, and there's much worse ways, and boy you sure found one.”
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