Before we start talking about the movie, let’s face facts. Jessica Lange is batshit crazy. So her great “acting” playing all those mentally ill characters may not be acting after all. That being said, “Men Don’t Leave” (1990) is a quirky look at how the death of a spouse turns a normal American family upside-down. Since Lange is playing herself as the depressed, crazy mom, the supporting players (Arliss Howard, Chris O’Donnell) are far more interesting. Best of all is Joan Cusack as a cougariffic x-ray technician with a heart of gold. Joan Cusack, I would carry you two miles.
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“Music Box” (1989) is a courtroom drama that keeps you guessing. I mean, guessing where the drama is. It’s a federal prosecution of 40-year-old war crimes that took place in Hungary. An open and shut case. The suspense comes in waiting to see if the defendant will admit his guilt to his defense attorney daughter (Jessica Lange). Your faith in the courtroom movie formula starts feeding on itself, however, and you begin rooting for a big payoff that proves Papa innocent. The twist? He is suddenly, definitively shown to be guilty. Interestingly, it makes for a sadder, but better, story.
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