Murphy's Romance: A Review

MURPHY'S ROMANCE

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is James Garner.

What happens when you find Love for the Last Time? Murphy's Romance shows that in matters of the heart, wisdom can be stronger than passion.

Divorcee Emma Moriarty (Sally Field) is starting a new life in Arizona with her young son, Jake (Corey Haim). Here, she will train and house horses for the local ranchers and cattlemen in her new home. The house itself may be dilapidated, but it will be just fine for them. As she starts finding her way, metaphorically and literally, in Eunice, Arizona, she encounters idiosyncratic pharmacist Murphy Jones (James Garner). Murph both fits into Eunice and is distinct from his fellow residents. The eligible widower plays fiddle in a local honky-tonk band but also has No Nukes and Re-Forest America stickers on his prized old-style automobile. Murph insists on parking it outside his pharmacy and detests the parking meter the City imposed there, paying the parking tickets but refusing to pay the meter. Eventually, he offers the suggestion that he will not trouble the Eunice council in exchange for the City putting up a tree in place of the meter at Murph's expense.

Emma and Murphy develop a friendship and perhaps start harboring feelings for each other. However, things take an unexpected turn when Emma's ex and Jake's father Bobby Jack (Brian Kerwin) comes to call on his ex-wife. Despite her dislike for Bobby Jack, she knows that Jake loves him. She also finds that she cannot fully let go of her hunky ex-husband and lets him stay at her ranch. All this irritates Murph, who is surreptitiously helping Emma by giving Jake a part-time job and sending business to her via his friends and neighbors. Will Emma go for the older but wiser Murphy or be entangled with Bobby Jack? Fate has a few twists and turns before the Emma finds the right man.

While Sally Field is the central character in Murphy's Romance, the film gives James Garner a plum role that earned him the sole Oscar nomination of his career. One can see why he alone was singled out for his performance as Murphy Jones (the film receiving a second Oscar nomination for Cinematography). Murphy Jones is a well-rounded individual. He is a salt of the earth person who keeps to his code. I would figure that he would be a liberal politically, putting him at odds with the community at large. "You can carry a gun, but you can't get an abortion", he tells Emma on their first meeting when talking about what kind of town Eunice is.

However, Murph also reads the letters of Stonewall Jackson and will not pay the parking meter where he stations his beloved roadster out of principle. That puts him closer to a libertarian, which again is out of step with his town. Murphy is also quietly appalled at the violence that he sees in the rare movie that he is talked into going to with Emma, Jake and Billy Jack. Murphy is his own man, and James Garner makes him believable and wise. Despite their age difference (the film ends with Murphy telling Emma how old he really is, a question that he has either dodged or refused to answer), we can see how they can develop a romance. 

The scene where the four of them go to the movie perfectly captures what kind of people they are. Director Martin Ritt shows Emma, Jake, Billy Jack and Murphy in various reactions to an unseen violent scene. We see shock, confusion, enjoyment and dismay. Each actor reveals what kind of people they are in this scene. It is a well-directed and acted moment.

Sally Field gives Emma a quality of gumption, a woman who is strong despite her small stature. She expresses irritation to downright anger when told by a female bank officer that they will not give her a lone because she has no husband to cosign. Emma grows in the film while making her vulnerable. Her reaction after a car accident is both funny and endearing. It is a delightful, amusing and captivating performance.

It is a shame that Corey Haim was never able to overcome his personal demons. We see such promise from him in Murphy's Romance as Jake. He is clever, loving towards his parents but also able to play a teen who is a mix of innocent and knowing. Late in the film, he tells Murph that he is aware of the card tricks that the father he loves was pulling. Yet, Jake clearly loves Billy Jack for all his faults. 

Brian Kerwin is quite good as Billy Jack. We can believe that he can charm his way back to Emma's heart (and maybe even bed) despite her common sense. He is shown as a schemer and dreamer, but one who does not fool Murphy. The tug-of-war between them has funny moments, such as when they keep cutting in to dance with her, leaving her in a bizarre loop. It is to where we do not hate Billy Jack, but we do not think well of him either. Billy Jack is a loathsome scoundrel, which makes Kerwin's performance so good.

Harriet Frank, Jr. and Irvin Ravetch's adaptation of Max Schott's novella gives the actors strong material to work with. 

Murphy's Romance is also blessed with Carole King writing both the score and at least two songs for the film. The opening and closing songs, Running Lonely and Love for the Last Time, capture the feel of the story. It is surprising that she was not singled out for Oscar consideration for either the songs or score, which all work well and are enjoyable.

Murphy's Romance is a delight. The film flows well and makes the title believable. We end up not only liking Murphy and Emma but wanting them to get together despite their own hangups. Murphy's Romance is a lovely film that should be better-known. 

DECISION: B+