Sommersby (1993)

From the back of the DVD: “People remember Jack Sommersby. They know him as a bitter, loutish man. But when Jack returns home after the Civil War, he's tender, caring and resourceful. Has the war changed him. or is the man calling himself Jack Sommersby an impostor?”

This is a brilliant drama starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster as a married couple living in extraordinary circumstances. There are themes of identity running through it – Jack may or may not be who he says he is – and it also explores issues of race and personal relationships.

Foster and Gere are both excellent, juggling several plot threads: the story about who Jack is, the story of their marriage and the story of the town's agricultural fortunes. It’s moving and it keeps you guessing. 

James Earl Jones has gravitas as a judge, even if I can only hear him as Darth Vader.

Shall We Dance? (2004)

Romantic comedy drama. 

Richard Gere plays a Chicago lawyer who feels a little jaded with life, despite his successful career and his lovely wife (Susan Sarandon). He secretly takes up dancing, inspired by a moody-looking dance instructor (Jennifer Lopez) he sees from his train window while commuting. He’s also encouraged by his work colleague (Stanley Tucci), who reassures him (and presumably the male viewers) that it’s “OK” for straight men to dance. 

It’s a lightweight piece of fluff with plenty of charm. Director Peter Chelsom handles the dance scenes extremely well. The script is adequate-to-good, with the best lines going to Sarandon. She memorably describes love as the idea of bearing witness to a life that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

Only Lopez lets the side down. She acts “troubled” but – other than being able to dance – brings little depth to the role.

I’m Not There (2007)

Impressionistic sort-of biopic of Bob Dylan starring six different actors, each representing different aspects of Bob’s personality. 

Fragments of Dylan lyrics and interviews are interwoven into the dialogue in a way that’s sometimes cryptic, sometimes obvious. 

It’s clearly meant to be as slippery and chameleonic as Dylan himself, but somehow it doesn’t come together. The Cate Blanchett sections are compelling enough that you wish director Todd Haynes had made an entire film with her as Dylan (he directed her again in Carol), but the passages with Richard Gere are baffling and rather dull. 

Christian Bale is the only other “Dylan” that works. I was less impressed by Marcus Carl Franklin, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw. One other highlight is Julianne Moore as Alice Fabian, a “folksinger and activist” presumably based on Joan Baez. 

It confirmed two things about Bob Dylan I already knew:

• He’s complex and difficult to pin down

• He wrote some great songs

But beyond that it told me very little.

Pretty Woman (1990)

Excellent romance starring Richard Gere as a ruthless businessman and Julia Roberts as the prostitute he initially hires and ultimately falls for. 

I’d heard a lot about this film but somehow never seen it until now. And what a gem it is. Gere’s acting seems to have improved exponentially since An Officer and a Gentleman. He has real presence. And Roberts has an effortless charm. Together, they have plenty of chemistry. 

The story is simple but expertly told. It’s subtle, too, where it could have been obvious: Gere’s transformation is slow and realistically gradual, rather than a character U-turn. 

There are two criticisms I would make. Firstly, it idealises Vivian's profession. She makes one reference to men always hitting her, but it gives little impression of the true dangers of her work. Secondly, it has the usual tropes of US 80s/90s films in that upward mobility is presented as the only real option to aspire towards.

Those points aside, it’s a pleasure to watch.

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) is training to be a naval officer. Debra Winger plays his girlfriend Paula. They both take their clothes off a fair bit, but – beyond a detailed look at the training itself – there’s not a great deal more going on until the drama suddenly ramps up for the closing minutes. 

Winger is one of the strongest actresses of this era, but she isn’t really given enough to get her teeth into. Likewise Gere, who is perfectly acceptable. More impressive than either of them is Louis Gossett Jr. as the drill instructor who teaches Zack discipline. 

It’s entertaining and the final third certainly pulls you in as the sub-plots about the secondary couple (Sid and Lynette) are developed. It would have been stronger if Zack’s father had either been made more of or ditched entirely. And a few laughs would have helped. 

The soundtrack is a little intrusive at times. One of the love scenes has what sounds like lift music playing all the way through it. At the end we get the big hit song, “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.