Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 4-July-09
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Continental Divide (1981)

When people remember John Belushi's movie career they probably think of an overindulgent frat boy or a blues singer in sunglasses. They probably do not recall Ernie Souchak, the hardworking Chicago reporter of the romantic comedy Continental Divide. Yet Belushi brings a lot to this early work from director Michael Apted. He allows his slapstick to enhance his Everyman character without overwhelming it, and, as an Everyman, makes a much more convincing romantic-comedy hero than your average movie star.

The hitch of Continental Divide is that the would-be lovers are entrenched in polar lifestyles. The movie devotes a good bit of time to their careers, which sure beats dopey dating scenes and gags about buttinsky friends and family members. Souchak is a minor star in the Windy City, having devoted himself to exposing a corrupt politician and met with enough success that his life is threatened. When his boss insists that he leave town while his enemies cool down, Souchak reluctantly agrees to trek into the Rockies and interview a reclusive environmentalist named Nell Porter (Blair Brown). It is the first time he has ever been more than a dozen miles away from skyscrapers, 24-hour convenience stores, and taxi cabs.

Belushi looks reliably funny struggling behind a mountain guide with a two-week supply of cigarettes and a complete ignorance of the outdoors. Arrived at his destination, he temporarily dismisses his guide and throws himself on the mercy of his subject. While notoriously averse to media attention, Nell is not unfriendly and realizes she cannot let a tenderfoot wander the wilderness alone. On the agreement that he not write about her, she invites him into her cabin and her life, which is portrayed in a sentimental, Sierra Club kind of light. Her passion is endangered bald eagles and pursuing her study of them in peace.

The yin-and-yang relationship involves many cute (but not cutesy) moments, my favorite being when Nell goes ballistic on two hunters shooting at an eagle while Souchak watches in awe and then tries to partake of her conviction. Realistically, the love that blooms between them does not prevent him from returning home when his time on the mountain is up. Also realistically, he sulks like hell when he gets there. How can people from such different worlds make a life together? When Nell comes to the city to give a lecture, they wrestle with this dilemma. After milking the emotion of their reunion, the movie ends with a "solution" that satisfies tradition but does not truly settle the matter. Still, Continental Divide does not suffer by closing with a question mark. In fact, it is gratifying to see two characters who do not stumble like fools into happily ever after, but rather explore the possibilities of mutual affection and the need to be themselves.

Copyright © 2009 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.