Travelogue, comedy amid the tears

Press, 23 January 1984, Page 14

Travelogue, comedy amid the tears

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TABLE FOR FIVE

Directed by Robert Lieberman

Written by David Seltzer

With the screening of “Table for Five,” the Academy Cinema is continuing its policy of showing films which, probably, otherwise would never be seen in Christchurch.

Such “alternative” theatres usually used to be known as “art houses,” and were mainly associated with avant-garde or foreign language films. Such a classification, however, no longer applies to the Academy, which shows an even wider range of films — including essentially standard, family entertainment which, for some reason, has not received commercial release by the bigger cinema chains.

Two such films are Coppola’s fantasy-musical, “One From the Heart,” which has just finished a good run at the Academy, and “Table for Five,” a gentle tear jerker that started last Friday.

On first glance, both films woulld seem to be of the type to be screened by the cinema chains, but were dismissed as box-office flops.

This is where the Academy comes in and shines as a smaller cinema capable of taking a risk, catering for smaller audiences, gaining bigger crowds by word of

mouth, thus unearthing and showing another gem. “Table for Five” certainly falls into this category, and it beats me why it has not been a bigger success — although it is ideally suited for the smaller, intimate theatre.

Jon Voight has already shown that he has a good way with children in that sodden tear jerker, “The Champ,” and another film in which he played as a school teacher on a Pacific island, the name of which eludes me.

This time, he has three children to help him all the way through two hours of entertainment, ranging from the occasional moment for tears to times of great fun and hilarity. The familiar story is about a divorced father (Voigt) who takes his three children, after years of neglect, on a Mediterranean cruise in a luxury liner visiting Rome, Athens, Cairo, Tunis and Genoa. He is trying to rewin their hearts, only to be

struck by the unexpected problems of parenthood, and the shattering news that the mother (Millie Perkins) has been killed in a car crash back in the United States.

The foster father, sympathetically played by Richard Crenna, then moves on to the scene in his attempt to retain custody of the children. After a few more tears, the film comes to a happy ending but there is much more to the show than just this trite plot. Forgetting the story, “Table for Five” could have passed as an excellent travelogue, with beautiful photography of the Mediterranean cities and the Norwegian liner, Vistafjord.

The dramatic scene under the Sphinx and pyramids will stay in your memory. The children, also, are outstanding with the youngest boy (Robby Kiger) stealing most of his scenes. He is the poor lad who has reading difficulties and nightmares about being chased by a white kangaroo with long nails and whiskers, and a dead baby in its pouch. I am sure we will see more of young Robby in future films.

His 12-year-old sister

(Roxana Zal) is one who-' takes on the of looking after her younger •■ brother and her ing father. For such a young -> actress, Roxana gives an " impressive performance. L. Son Hoan Bui gives believable showing as theT. 15-year-old, adopted Filipino - son who seems more in- • terested in his pocket computer than the ocean cruise. Most of the dialogue is * predictable but very well 7. delivered. Stepfather says to > negligent father: “They love ; you when they cart have you-’ — at vacations or for phone* calls on their birthdays. You x take them to the pyramids v but let us take them to the ' dentist.”

Of interest is the fact that'7 the script is by David v Seltzer, who wrote the 7 screenplay of another tear - jerker, “Six Weeks,” star- 7 ring Dudley Moore, which proved to be a fizzer and*has not yet been screened in 2 Christchurch.

In many ways, “Table for - Five” is reminiscent of “Shoot the Moon,” another „ split-family comedy-drama, 2 starring Albert Finney, ;■ which was very successful ■» at the Academy last year. ’ This one deserves to do as well.