firecat

I'd forgotten that Tom Hulce was in that. He's always good. So is Jeff Bridges, for that matter. And Rosie Perez is unexpectedly touching as the bereaved mother. And Isabella Rossellini playing Jeff's wife.

Fearless means a lot to me personally. After my niece died, that was one of the movies that helped me cope with the grief. So I don't have the appropriate level of distance from it to be a good critic. But I suspect that it didn't do so well because it's both really dark and altogether too close to home. Dark is OK if it's removed from ordinary life, but the thought that any ordinary business trip can end in a flaming plane crash is something most of us would rather not dwell on.

Who wants to think about the grief, fear, and anger of being left entirely without insurance when your husband is killed in a plane crash? When Jeff Bridges finally says what happened to his partner, he speaks in a dreamy, affectless way that's utterly chilling.

Or about not being able to protect your baby -- begging a stewardess to help, then having him ripped from your arms by G forces? Rosie Perez carries a terrible weight of guilt in that film, and nobody wants to think about what it means to lose a child. The scene where Jeff Bridges drives his Volvo straight into a wall at 40mph is unforgettable.

It's a great movie, but it's just too painful for a lot of people. It's one of my favorite Weir movies -- and I have been loving his work since Picnic at Hanging Rock first showed in this country, a quarter of a century ago.