Between the Lines

Between the Lines_720p(480P)

A small independent Boston paper has a staff of young eccentrics, hopeful journalists who want to keep what they do free and away from the corporations who would manipulate everything they print and the type of advertising that the paper utilizes. This has a cast of rising young actors including Jeff Goldblum, John Heard, Lindsay Crouse, Bruno Kirby, Jill Eikenberry and veteran actor Michael J Pollard, stealing every moment he's on screen as the newspaper street hawker who can get a laugh just by smirking. When they learn from their somewhat Papa's, nervous boss, that there's a deal going through to sell the paper to one of those big corporations, they are not too happy, and they have to come together to decide how they are going to deal with this horrible bit of news. An excellent script and direction by Joan Micklin Silver gives us a glimpse into life behind the scenes of these big city Independents, perhaps a type of Journalism long gone that focused on integrity, real freedom of the press and a point of view that covered many different topics and methods. This is certainly quite liberal and its storytelling, and the various characters interact an amusing ways even if they don't always get along or agree. It's interesting that for a film directed by a woman, there seems to only be one female reporter on the staff, with other women working for the paper doing basic office duties. There's a little bit of a romantic issue between two of the staff members, one who's constantly depressed and the girlfriend who has to put up with his mood swings. Goldblum is the gregarious, ambitious one, and Kirby is an awkward young hopeful whose attempts to be as important as the debtor and members of the paper off and gets him laughed at. But when he gets into trouble while doing the big story, they come to his defense, and when push comes to shove as the big shoe drops on these little sneakers, they decide to deal with it in a way that suits their integrity, not guarantees them a paycheck. There's a hysterical ending that is a genuine belly laugh for how they deal with the big corporation representative, particularly how one of them handles it that leaves the representative silent and the audience applauding.

This was a pretty pathetic attempt to write about the goings-on at an alternative newspaper in the 1970s, with the various writers and other employees of the paper. It seems like it was written by a dull accountant who is trying to capture the hip energy of young newspaper writers in the 70s, but has no clue at all what it is really like to work on such a paper. As if Ward Cleaver attempted to write a movie about Lester Bangs. The characters are cardboard cutouts of various types: the tortured writer, the egotistical writer, the kooky rock writer, the nerdy kid trying to fit in and be an equal of the others, etc. Nothing interesting happens in the movie, and the characters are just irritating and tedious. Jeff Goldblum's character is especially ridiculous in its forced zaniness. It's also full of depressing 70s fashions and interiors, full of ugly colors, bell bottoms, and wide collars. From a sociological perspective, it is interesting looking at how men and women allegedly carried on relationships in those days, but seems as foreign now as the relationships of an extraterrestrial race.

At the time of writing, this movie is 45 years old, and the music, writing, characters and costumes are, naturally, very much of that period. However, one day someone will write something new which owes a lot to this style of film-making; they'll lovingly recreate the fashions, revive the music, expand it to a miniseries. I don't know, but I do know I enjoyed Between the Lines, and I'd love to see more of the same.

Standard ensemble dramedy about 60's "youth quake" hippies running a radical paper, trying to maintain their anti-establishment values in the face of encroaching corporate greed, with all the joys and conflicts inherent in the enterprise. Good performance from lotsa youngish stars that continued to deliver for years, Jeff Goldblum even today. Standard.

Stumbled on this gem on you tube about the going's ons in a magazine office , a great cast and great direction make this a must watch movie esp for those that worked in the industry.

Based on a very minor perusal of the Wikipedia page, it seems Between the Lines was appreciated in some capacity back in the 1970s because it gave a snapshot of the declining industry of independent/alternative newspapers. Perhaps I would like the movie more if that were what it was actually about. I could have summoned some mild amount of interest in a movie that focused on the corporate takeover of the little guy, and how that was going to potentially affect the authenticity of their reporting. Instead I got a long soap opera about the annoying people that work together at a newspaper. There's little in the film besides boring relationship drama among people with little personality, and then Jeff Goldblum acting as the wacky comic relief (who does nothing that is actually funny.) We don't even get a close look at any of the stories they want to write, we just see some minor work they are putting in between sleeping with their coworkers. Between the Lines bounces around from scene to scene with very little narrative direction, and I found myself completely disinterested. I'm sure someone might like this babbling aimless nonsense, but for me it was terribly dull.

"Between the Lines" works far better as a document of its time than as a comedy or drama. The interactions between the characters are what's best here, while the actual "plot" gets lost somewhere between maybe too many characters and too many side plots which do nothing but make the whole thing feel a bit disjointed. It's characteristic of the movie that the funniest scene (about a wannabe conceptual artist) comes out of nowhere and leads to nothing, a complete non sequitur. You might think that in a story about a newspaper there would be ample opportunity for a good plot, but very little of this potential is actually used. Recommended for the nice performances and overall atmosphere, which I liked, but don't expect anything particularly gripping or hilarious.

I had never heard of this movie until about two months ago when I was looking up actor John Heard. I had just watched 'Cutter's Way (1981)' and was extremely impressed by his performance having previously only recognized him as the dad in 'Home Alone.' Not only does 'Between the Lines' have John Heard delivering another excellent performance but it also has a terrific ensemble cast of some great actors before they gained popularity; notably Jeff Goldblum, Linsay Crouse, and Marilu Henner. 'Between the Lines' is set up very much the same way as Robert Altman's 'Nashville' with the plot (what little there is) taking a backseat to a picturesque look at a time period and delightful characters. In a nutshell the film is about an independent newspaper group who is about to be bought out by a large company; but more so it's about the relationships between all these people. An absolute breeze to watch because the actors are having so much fun. There are many random funny moments; including an absurd scene where an abstract artist comes into the office and starts wrecking the place referring to each action as art, but the movie also has a great deal to say. A charming time capsule for the late 70's and also for the displaying the talents of the young actors. ***1/2 out of ****

Joan Micklin Silver's ensemble masterpiece is watchable again and again! This is one of those rare films for which we can name 10 cast members. It captures the fading press counterculture of the late 60's and 70's in a memorable way. If you see it more than a few times, you will enjoy blurting out lines of dialog right before they are spoken... i.e. "some say 'whither rock 'n roll?...not at my house--I don't have the room" from Jeff Goldblum. I'll wait a year or two, then watch it again. It's a 'cult' movie--at least with some friends I know-- along the lines of "Head Over Heels" a.k.a. "Chilly Scenes of Winter" another gem from Joan Micklin Silver.