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Men Don’t Leave is directed by Paul Brickman (Risky
Business) and stars Jessica Lange, Chris O'Donnell (Batman
Forever), Joan Cusack (School of Rock) and Kathy Bates (Misery.)
The musical score is composed by Thomas Newman (Revenge
of the Nerds.) The film was originally released in 1990.
***
Men Don’t Leave is the story of a woman and her two
children. The father/husband figure in this family has just
passed away, forcing her to sell her home in an effort to
pay off his debts. Through numerous failed relationships
and missteps, the family is drawn closer and realizes that
sticking together is the best way to get through life. ***
Men Don’t Leave is one of those forgotten classics I’m
glad to see finally getting a DVD release. Despite being
originally released theatrically in 1990, the movie never
got a DVD release – until now. The lost classic is back,
and at long last, I can throw out my old VHS tape. ***
This film succeeds on so many levels because everything
comes together so nicely. The cast is a multi-talented one,
including the criminally-underrated Chris O’Donnell. Jessica
Lange is great as the leading lady, and we get superb supporting
performances from Kathy Bates and Joan Cusack. The movie
is well-paced and no time feels wasted thank s to Paul Brickman’s
superb direction. ***
Men Don’t Leave isn’t quite a classic, but it definitely
deserves a better reputation than it has gotten for itself
over the years – it’s absolutely criminal that this movie
is so unknown and forgotten. Take my word for it – it’s
a lost classic worth discovering, or rediscovering. ---
Image and Sound:
As one of Warner’s Archive Collection titles, this
disc hasn’t received any sort of remastering or restoration.
It feels like one of those titles Warner just threw on a
disc just to shut people up who wanted a DVD release of
the movie. I wish the title had received more care than
this. Fortunately, even in its current state, the picture
quality isn’t half bad, and there aren’t a ton of negative
issues to report. Audio is front-heavy considering the dramatic
nature of the movie, which is to be expect. All in all this
is a good transfer, I just wish Warner had put more effort
into remastering the movie.
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