Always (1989)

If there is only one reason why someone should rent or buy this film, it is simply to see Audrey Hepburn in her final screen performance. There was no better way to end her magnificent career than making a final, but all too brief appearance as an angel - she was cast beautifully - almost poetic. She was truly remarkable, and sadly, there will never be anyone else like her.

Fmovies: This is a quality film, and it is one of the reasons why I think John Goodman is a really a good actor who often goes unnoticed. This movie would have been decent with any cast, but I think the combination of John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Richard Dreyfuss really brought the story to life. Additionally Spielberg does a good job of incorporating the supernatural presence of Pete Sandich's ghost without relying on dramatic special effects. This movie is somewhat similar in theme to Ghost (which came out one year after Always), but Ghost focuses more on the supernatural aspects and goes to great lengths to show the ghost walking through doors and other objects. To a certain extent these special effects take center stage in ghost, whereas in Always you never see Richard Dreyfuss walk through anything. All of the cool supernatural stuff happens offscreen leaving the plot and the characters as the main focal point. That being said I think that the action scenes with the planes flying over the forest fires are really thrilling. It's beautiful, and intense. (I think it makes the dogfights in Top Gun look like a Carousel ride) Go rent this movie.

One of his lesser films, Always is a nice, touching story that seems to never have found its proper audience.

Wonderfully shot, well acted, the 1989 film is a departure from Spielberg's usual fantasy and historical pictures but has echoes of both. The firebomber sequences hint at some of the battle scenes from Saving Private Ryan years down the road.

Well worth checking out if you haven't seen it. Hepburn's final screen appearance is gentle and touching. Spielberg is restrained in this film. Perhaps he considers it a small film, but it is a forgotten gem in many ways.

Always fmovies. It has been a while since I have seen this 'Always.' The years, I should say, have done this film justice.

A noted cinephile, I know when to eat my words, and this is one is for the books. Sincere. Honest. Touching. Obviously sparked with a late-eighties, Spielbergian hyper-real, cinematic extensions and flair, these elements do not bog the film downs as, say, with '1941' or 'The Color Purple.' And why should we expect modern filmmakers to be like those of the forties or fifties? Modern filmmakers are just that -- modern.

Holly Hunter is a walking dream and she has talent in droves. I have long had a crush on her and her funny mouth. She is simply enchanting and steals the show. Goodman, for once, is kept under control. Dreyfuss, with the thankless role of revisiting his past and commenting on the future, is the weakest link but only just. Sumptuously photographed by deftly edited, this story of unrequited love is as universal as mothers and babies. If it doesn't bring tears to your eyes, shame on you. The best advice to view this film is to forget it is a Spielberg film. Enjoy it for the love story that it is and sink into its voluptuous and charged charm.

We should all hope we become angels in the mist, able to return to Earth to right all the wrongs of the world.

This may be one Spielberg's most romantic films, next to A.I., which is a supremely magnificent film and, also, equally dismissed when it first arrived on the scene.

I urge all to give this film a second chance.

At first glance, Always looks like a variation of Ghost, until one realizes it is a remake of a much older movie. But it has something Ghost certainly did not have -- Audrey Hepburn.

In what would be her final big-screen appearance, Audrey is radiant as the angel Hap, who appears all too briefly in the film. From the moment her famous voice is heard, time seems to stop. True, Audrey doesn't have a lot to say -- although her Doctor Who-like non-explanation about time is funny -- the few moments she is on screen are minutes to treasure. If Judi Dench and Ingrid Bergman were able to get Oscars for glorified cameos, it's a shame Hepburn didn't rate a nomination.

Of course, much of what's special about Audrey's role in this film comes from hindsight -- the fact she only had a couple more years to live, and the fact she had only appeared a few times on film in the previous 20 years. But we can be thankful to Steven Spielberg for not only getting Audrey to make the appearance, but also for giving her a classy film in which to make her swan song.

Having just seen a re-cap of AFI's 100 most romantic films, I decided to go through my own video library to see how many I owned. Of course, starting alphabetically, I pulled out "Always". It wasn't on AFI's list. But it is on mine. I threw it in the VCR, having seen it at least 3-4 times before, and it was like watching it for the first time again.

To sum it up, I wept, from the opening to the closing scene. Rarely am I so touched by a film that it affects me so strongly as to push aside all rational thought and open up the flood gates. But I should expect no less from the man (Spielberg) who single-handedly keeps the tissue industry in the black. He knows how to tug those heart-strings. He's doesn't just play off one emotion; he goes for them all! Drama, action, humor, loss and love. And what he does in "Always", just like "Empire of the Sun", "The Color Purple", "E.T.", "Schindler's List", and "Saving Private Ryan"; is never let the rider off the coaster.

Unfortunately, at the release of "Always", he had not fully gained the respect of the industry enough to prevent this film from being pushed aside. For me, however, it's still right there up on top!

Kudos Spielberg , for reminding us that even your less-seen films were done w/ brilliance, integrity, humor and a more than just a few tears.