Stanley and Iris (1990)

This film has a special place in my heart, as when I caught it the first time, I was teaching adult literacy. It rang very true to me and even an outstanding student I had at the time. There are scenes which make you gulp with sudden emotion, and those which even put a smile on your face through sheer identification with the characters and their situation.

Excellent performances by Jane Fonda and Robert DeNiro that rank with their best work, a great turn by a young Martha Plimpton, an inspiring story line, and a haunting musical score makes for a most enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Fmovies: Watch the great acting closely, and you might forget you are watching a very incomplete film. It boggles my mind how disappointing this film truly is. You have two wonderful actors, smart dialogue, and a great premise, how could you screw up? The problem with Stanley & Iris is that it feels like it is missing major scenes. The viewer has no sense of time what so ever with this film. It moves at a break-neck pace which isn't called for. If this film would have slowed down a little, explained some scenes a little clearer, you'd have a wonderful little film. The condition of this film is a mess!! What a shame.

I found this to be a so-so romance/drama that has a nice ending and a generally nice feel to it. It's not a Hallmark Hall Of Fame-type family film with sleeping-before-marriage considered "normal" behavior but considering it stars Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro, I would have expected a lot rougher movie, at least language-wise.

The most memorable part of the film is the portrayal of how difficult it must be to learn how to read and write when you are already an adult. That's the big theme of the movie and it involves some touching scenes but, to be honest, the film isn't that memorable.

It's still a fairly mild, nice tale that I would be happy to recommend.

Stanley and Iris fmovies. Excellent acting by the 2 main stars, De Niro and Fonda, make this a movie well worth seeing. A story about an illiterate, and a woman who helps him learn to read. In return, he helps her stop clinging to her past husband and learn to enjoy life again. It was interesting to see a slice of American life that's different from the glamour (huge homes with swimming pools) that is so often the backdrop to Hollywood movies (yawn).

`Stanley and Iris' is a heart warming film about two people who find each other and help one another overcome their problems in life. Stanley's life is difficult, because he never learned to read or write. Iris is a widower with two teenage children working in a bakery where she meets Stanley. She decides to teach Stanley how to read at her home in her spare time. Over time they become romantically involved. After Stanley learns to read, he goes off to a good job in Chicago, only to return to Iris and ask her to marry him.

It's a really good film without nudity, violence, or profanity, that which is rare in today's films. A good film all round.

I'm a male, not given to women's movies, but this is really a well done special story. I have no personal love for Jane Fonda as a person but she does one Hell of a fine job, while DeNiro is his usual superb self. Everything is so well done: acting, directing, visuals, settings, photography, casting. If you can enjoy a story of real people and real love - this is a winner.