From the first minutes of this film I found myself more aware of the script's shortcomings than the action. I kept thinking, "These poor actors are trying their best, but I just don't see why the characters are saying that." But I soon discovered that I would never understand why any of the characters do anything in _Affliction_. Why is Margie so smitten with a loser like Wade? Why are Jill's parents so dang old when Wade mentions he got married when he was just a kid? Why does Rolfe suggest a conspiracy theory regarding the shooting "accident" and then later describe the plot as existing only in his brother's imagination, as if he had nothing to do with it? Why do the flashbacks suggest bad camcorder more than forty year old memory? And is it just me, or does Wade's boss have a weird accent? In this film Schrader has created a mess of underdeveloped plot lines which he can only salvage by tacking on a voiceover at the end to finish up the story and try in vain to explain to us why we should care. The alcoholic father is a one-dimensional monster (despite Coburn's noble attempts, I found myself praying that someone would kill him early into the movie), and the protagonist is so multidimensional that he is impossible to grasp. Mostly, I just didn't care what happened to any of these people. After shelling out nine bucks at the box office, I couldn't bear to leave, but I'll confess I did whip out a magazine and try to read, but it was just too dark (a good description of the film overall). The last time I was so bored by so much gratuitous familial dysfunction was when I saw _The Sweet Hereafter_, also based on a Russell Banks novel. I think Mr. Banks and Mr. Schrader each need to cough up $4.50, and maybe I'll forgive the waste of my time.
PS Yes, Nolte gave a great performance, but alas there is no Oscar for Best Actor in a Bad, Bad Movie.
PS Yes, Nolte gave a great performance, but alas there is no Oscar for Best Actor in a Bad, Bad Movie.