MEMORIES OF ME

US, 1988, 195 minutes, Colour.
Billy Crystal, Alan King, Jo Beth Williams.
Directed by Henry Winkler.

Memories of Me is a pleasing film about an adult son and his relationship with his father. The film was directed, with sensitivity and humour, by Henry Winkler.

Billy Crystal is quite believable in a more serious role than usual. He is a surgeon who experiences a heart attack and has to come to grips with the meaning of his life as well as the dominant presence of his father and his refusal to communicate with his father.

Alan King has a more boisterous role as the father, a Hollywood extra, very proud of his acting skills and his ability to blend in with a crowd as well as do distinctive part roles. The two meet in Los Angeles, the surgeon, very serious, sharing the life of his father, the father being diagnosed as terminally ill and the two interacting. Jo Beth Williams plays the surgeon's girlfriend. There is an enjoyable supporting cast - a gallery of character actors and extras who congregate together in Hollywood, each with their own particular speciality. There is a great deal of humour, a great deal of emotion. It is one of those films with which audiences can identify, even if the characters seem rather exotic in their way of life and careers.

1.Enjoyable comedy? Serious drama? A film of the generations? Love-hate relationships? Death?

2.New York and Los Angeles settings, the world of Hollywood? Reality and unreality? Acting and pretence? Two different theatres?

3.The title, the reference? To Abby, to Abe? Bitter memories, loving memories? The home movies? The memories in the mind and heart of each character?

4.Billy Crystal as Abby: his life, age, serious dedication to work, playing his music, relationship with Lisa, the surgery and the heart attack, its effect, fear, going home, the recuperation? Why the heart attack?

5.The talk of his father, the absence of his father from his considerations? Lisa's puzzle? Watching the home movies, the embarrassing focus on Abby, as a little boy, no privacy, his proud father, the effect on him?

6.The phone call and his decision to go to Los Angeles? Abe and the video camera at the airport, the car? Making a fuss about his son? The difficulties initially in talking? The years in which they had been separated? Going to Abe's apartment, the discussion about the bed, clashes, fighting or not?

7.Alan King's portrait of Abe: the joker, the quality of his life, the marriage and the break-up, his accepting responsibility? His love for his son? An actor amongst extras? Proud of his jobs - not being a putz? The tour of the studios, meeting Sean Connery? The photos? The auditions, the various roles that he had to perform - especially the vegetables in the fantasy? Going to the club, meeting all the extras, their illustrating their specialties?

8.Abby and his decision to stay or not, his anger with his father, the attempts at communication, their manoeuvres against each other? Lisa's arrival, feeling herself in between each? Loving Abby, responding to Abe and his jokes?

9.Abe and his performance, the blackouts and his incoherent speech? The check-up and his clowning around? Abby's helping, explaining things? An improvement in the quality of their relationship? Joking or not? Abe wanting Abby to return? Going to Mexico in Los Angeles and enjoying themselves? Abby staying, Lisa going?

10.Abby and making up for lost time, change, more tolerant? The effect on Abe? Their discussion about the agent, Abby setting things up, Abe going to the interview and doing well, charming the agent? The possibilities of a speaking role, the rehearsals? Their talking together? Abe and his facing up to death in his acting way? Knowing that he would die?

11.The dramatic suddenness of the death, the funeral, the small group at the cemetery, all the extras turning up in their style? The headstone - Abe as a putz?

12.The relationship of father and son echoing relationships that were real? Love lost and found? Giving and loving? The dramatic effect of the story and its message?