Scent of a Woman

Of all the movies that I have seen that has moved me, Scent of a Woman was the one that did it. A highly emotional movie which starred Academy Award Winning Actor, Al Pacino who portrayed Ret. Lt. Col. Frank Slade, and Chris O'Donnell as the young fresh faced student of the prestigious Baird School, Charlie Simms.

Charlie(O' Donnell) takes a job caring for Slade(Pacino), a washed-up, decorated military man who clings to his Jack Daniels, so he can earn enough money to go home for the Christmas Holidays. Along the way, Slade takes the young man through different turns during the Thanksgiving Day weekend in New York City not knowing what the boy will expect. While the unpredictable occurs, Charlie contemplates his fate with his school honor--a conflict of interest with who is your real friends and who are not.

The entire movie wraps around relationships and how strangers can make a difference in a little over 2 hours and 37 minutes. For one weekend, Charlie and Slade discover that they need each other more than they thought, with different circumstances. You'd have to see the movie to know what I'm talking about, especially the finale.

The director, Martin Brest(Beverly Hills Cop and Meet Joe Black), has the knack of bringing out the best in the characters even in unpleasant situations. The soft sides always show in those who don't appear to have it.

If this film had a theme it would be, living is worth living.

Little is said about the tango scene, thus far. That allows me the pleasure of being the first to talk about the interesting things that are going on there.

Frank, an ardent admirer of the beauty of women, and an afficionado of the Tango, finds himself with an opportunity for a special moment, a situation, in which he proceeds to charm a sweet flower of a young woman, so well embodied in Donna, with his manner and his words. Tango music is swaying in the background, compellingly played by The Tango Project.

Frank asks Donna if she can Tango; she had wanted to learn, but her Michael didn't. Frank offers her a lesson, then and there. She hesitates, blushes, smiles, and finally submits to his " seduction." They escort each other to the dance floor. Aware of Frank's blindness, Donna instinctively holds him closer.

"Por un Cabeza" begins. Frank leads her, gently and masterfully, through the beautiful ritual of the Tango. She seems to move as one with him. Effective camera work reveals Frank's dramatic and romantic execution of the Tango, and Donna's pleasure and surprise at her ability to follow him, effortlessly, through this colorful dance that she has long wished to do.

They leave the dance floor. One gets the sense that what transpired was more than simply a dance lesson. They were both deeply fulfilled by the experience; Frank, by being with a beautiful woman, doing his beloved Tango, and Donna, by finally doing a Tango with a charming man.

I would add that Donna was not mildly smitten by Frank, as betrayed by her glances toward him during the brief conversation that followed, and as she was being led away by Michael, who had joined them. She was obviously not very willing to say goodbye. A small tragedy is perceived in the fact that Frank could not see and reap the reward of the attraction of a beautiful woman; there is no doubt that he sensed it, but he would have been very pleased to see it.

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There has already been 33 reviews written of this movie. What more do I hope to (or can I possibly)add? Well, I don't know, but here goes my two cents...

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Al Pacino at one of his very best moments. Playing a role unlike any other of his career. Chris O'Donnell at a perfect stage--before he his head became too big to fit through doorways (as the result of such travesties as Batman or The Bachelor).

This is a very moving movie. One that never fails to endear itself further to me. I've seen it more times than I care to remember, but just yesterday, happened to catch it again on TNT. The channel surfing stopped there, and I watched what (little) remained.

I wager you will love this movie as well. One can't help but love it as they watch an aging, blind Pacino come from despair to....well, I won't give away too much for those of you who haven't seen it.

But, a few scenes to look for that are, by themselves, worthy of the price of this beauty: (a) the tango; (b) the test-drive; and (c) the speech. Hopefully that is cryptic and vague enough to not give anything away. However, those in the know, know very well what I speak/write of.

Get it. Enjoy it a million times over.

Read Best Reviews of Scent of a Woman Here

I have probably watched "Scent of A Woman" thirty times. I find it one of those movies that becomes hypnotic a few minutes into it. Al Pacino is absolutely outstanding in the role of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, retired from the U.S. Army. Slade, blinded by a drinking/grenade game he was playing with one of his drinking buddies, is now living as an embittered alcoholic with an adult niece, her husband and two little children. He is an arrogant, angry man used to issuing orders and not displaying very much gratitude or affection.

Charlie Simms, played well by Chris O'Donnell, is a scholarship at a nearby prep school in the same town in New Hampshire where Slade lives. Charlie's trying to earn some money over the Thanksgiving weekend so that he can travel home to his parents in Oregon at the Christmas break.He discovers an ad placed by Slade's niece to care for her blind uncle over the Thanksgiving break so that she can travel with her husband and kids to Albany, New York for Thanksgiving with her in-laws.Charlie answers the ad and the adventure quickly develops.

Slade has his own plans for Thanksgiving. A last big blowout in New York City before killing himself.

He is abusive to Charlie at first and acts as if he is one of his military aides. He doesn't let him in on his plans until it's practically time to leave for New York -while Charlie had been told by Slade's niece that the weekend would be at her home looking after her uncle.

A beautiful bonding begins as Slade and Simms interact and except for his anger and bitterness, it is obvious that Slade is not particularly handicapped by his blindness as he has developed an extra few "senses" which make him seem remarkable.

The journey to New York is a roller coaster of emotion from comic to touching to almost tragic. When Slade finally decides to kill himself, Charlie manages to save the day -although it's pretty touch and go keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout.

Charlie has problems of his own. He's not particularly self confident and Slade is tremendously intimidating. Charlie's other problems center around an incident at school which places him at a crossroads -whether he should rat on some kids at school at the headmaster's own brand of intimidation, or face expulsion.

The movie concludes with an impassioned speech by Colonel Slade on Charlie' behalf before a school-wide assembly being held for a disciplinary committee hearing on the incident Charlie has knowledge of.

Simms remains true to himself and proves himself to show new confidence and an outstanding sense of personal integrity.

Slade has also benefited by his own plans gone awry and his opening a window of care for Charlie as another human being. He emerges as a sign of hope to overcome his bitterness, anger and alcoholism.

An absolutely remarkable film!!!

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Al Pacino (Scarface) won his first Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992 when he starred in Scent Of A Woman, a movie directed by Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop) and co-starring Chris O'Donnell (Batman Forever).

Pacino plays Lt. Colonel Frank Slade, a blind and retired military officer who spends thanksgiving weekend with his caretaker, a young and poor Oregon man named Charlie, played incredibly by O'Donnell, in New York City.

Charlie goes to a rich boy's school, Baird, where he is held as a witness to a disciplinary issue revolving around an incident that humiliated the headmaster, who threatens expulsion for Charlie if he doesn't tell the board who the perpetrators were. On the other hand, the other witness is a rich man's kid, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), who eventually gets an easier treatment. Charlie decides to work over the thanksgiving vacation as a caretaker for Slade, whose family leave him to go out of town.

Pacino's performance as Slade strikes gold. He's vicious and moody for a blind man, one who refuses to be held at the arm when walking, but he's also lonely, miserable and in need of a good time. Charlie accompanies Slade against his will to New York City where Slade has set an agenda that includes dining in a fancy restaurant, attending thanksgiving dinner at his estranged brother's house, dancing the tango with a beautiful woman, played by Gabrielle Anwar, driving a Ferrarri, getting laid, and finally blowing his brains out.

What makes the movie engaging is the bond that we see gradually occuring between our grumpy old man and the sweet and sensitive young man, and how Slade stands up to the lonesome poor boy with a lot of integrity in the climactic disciplinary hearing scene.

Scent Of A Woman is one of the best and most unforgettable motion pictures of the past 15 years.

Recommended

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