This movie had something to say, certainly. But what is going on does not merit 95 minutes, but more like 20. Granted, Carrie Snodgrass, as Tina, and Richard Benjamin, as Jonathan, put on fine performances. But we are bombarded with the same thing, over and over. Also, is it realistic to think even a "not liberated" woman would put up with Jonathan's endless do everything, egotism, and petulance, for anything resembling that length of time? Tina's facial expressions and body english in reaction are good, but again, how many times do we need it? Moreover, if a character is very distasteful, such as Jonathan was, the same type of distastefulness becomes exponentially annoying to the viewer--have him do some other bad things. The lack of depth in the spoiled kids adds to the tedium.
The affair with George puts a dent, and a little excitement, into the monotony. He also turns out to be extremely selfish, but that is more dramatically meaningful, adding to the movie's bite, than would be a Prince Charming coming in and sweeping her off her feet. However, without revealing the detail, let me state that the group psychotherapy coda doesn't work well as an anticlimax. Something more interesting could easily have been thought up -- it is just blah.
What was needed was variation on a theme, and a little variation, period. Archie Bunker had some of the same characteristics for his endless years on TV, but after two or three years he evolves, changes, under different circumstances, with different characters. Would people have continued to like it if the intense stuff of those early years just continued, on and on? For "Diary of a Mad Housewife", a few more subplots, and angles, would have served very well. Lacking this, we are subjected to quite boring fare.
The affair with George puts a dent, and a little excitement, into the monotony. He also turns out to be extremely selfish, but that is more dramatically meaningful, adding to the movie's bite, than would be a Prince Charming coming in and sweeping her off her feet. However, without revealing the detail, let me state that the group psychotherapy coda doesn't work well as an anticlimax. Something more interesting could easily have been thought up -- it is just blah.
What was needed was variation on a theme, and a little variation, period. Archie Bunker had some of the same characteristics for his endless years on TV, but after two or three years he evolves, changes, under different circumstances, with different characters. Would people have continued to like it if the intense stuff of those early years just continued, on and on? For "Diary of a Mad Housewife", a few more subplots, and angles, would have served very well. Lacking this, we are subjected to quite boring fare.