The Seduction of Joe Tynan

source: The Seduction of Joe Tynan

I was a senatorial intern in the 70's. (Fortunately never seduced.) But this film accurately depicted the City of the Time. Watch for the two or three second bit that depicts the "auto-pen." When I was an intern, I was interviewed by my small-hometown-newspaper, and instructed by my supervisor that I could discuss anything, I could even disagree with the Senator, but I WAS NOT TO MENTION THE AUTO-PEN!!! The auto-pen was a device that manipulated an actual felt-tip pen to produce a signature replica to make it appear that the Senator had actually signed a letter.

That profound philosophy comes from one of the colleagues of Senator Joe Tynan (Alan Alda), involved in conflict with other senators over an immigration bill and a rival politician (Maurice Copeland) other senators are trying to keep out of office. Alda is having problems in his marriage to Barbara Harris and turns to the pretty (and also married) Meryl Streep, an influencial lawyer, for an affair. With a troubled teenage daughter (Blanche Baker) demanding constant attention, it's obvious that Alda and Harris need a long vacation alone in order to repair their marriage. A powerful performance by the legendary Melvyn Douglas is key to the success of the film, and his reception in this helped lead him to a second Oscar for "Being There" the same year. Also involved in the senatorial conflict is Rip Torn, a senator so vile in behavior that wife Carrie Nye declares her determination never to share a cup with him. When he gets into a gumbo eating speed contest with Alda and wins (which leads to Torn running out of the room to get sick), it's easy to see why so many politicians can't stand each other, and why they must have press secretaries to keep their real personalities secret, or in the case of Alda's daughter Baker, the personalities of their children. There's also Charles Kimbrough, Michael Higgins and Robert Christian in major parts, with Kimbrough unrecognizable from his long role on "Murphy Brown". I wish there was more of Nye, very Tallulah-esque (having just been nominated for an Emmy for playing Tallulah in "The Scarlet O'Hara Wars"), and getting some very funny lines in her brief time on screen. Alda's script may not be "The Manchurian Candidate" or "The Best Man", but is quite realistic. Alda, Harris and Streep are all excellent. Strong direction by Jerry Schatzberg makes this stronger as well.

How did she pilot that plane ? Maybe it should have been run on Netflix Rip Torn's character is a real pig but at least know it In the bedroom scene between Alda and Streep in a room with a bed and that's what the room is for his character to get her character in bed this is less about politics and more about the sex but I did not think the sex scene was all that funny a man betraying his family and children is not funny didn"t someone say that Karen Traynor helped him fight another senate battle which says this wasn't their first go round with one another and he was power tripping from the get-go the trivia it never mentioned that Alan Alda had personally picked Meryl Streep for this picture

Alan Alda has a benign presence here, as in most of his work, but his range is a little greater than it's been given credit for. He was a perfect arrogant slimeball as Robert Gallo in "The Band Played On." But he's believable here as a good-natured family man, a Democratic U. S. Senator from New York, who is torn between his friendship for an aging mentor, Melvyn Douglas, and his principles. Douglas wants him to endorse the president's nominee for the Supreme Court, a former racist. That opposition will bring him to national attention but it will mean betraying some of those who have helped him in the past and could help him in the future. It also means skewering on national television the nominee, who may in fact have been nothing more than a well-meaning and effective pragmatist in compromising desegregation ten or fifteen years ago. There's also a problem with Alda's home life. There usually is when a man is dedicated to a demanding career. Look at the number of times John Wayne's love life was shredded because of his commitment to the military. On top of that, Tynan is seduced not only by the opportunity to climb the political ladder, but literally by Meryl Streep, the wife of a prominent Southern personage. It's all just terrible. Alda's wife, Barbara Harris, in a nice scene, is introduced to Streep and can tell in an instant that there has been not just an exchange of information and advice between Streep and Alda but also an exchange of bodily fluids. The movie ends the way John Wayne's movies ended, with the wife coming around to her husband's point of view. Streep wipes away her tears and boards an airplane to return home. Harris really does give a nicely shaded performance. While Alda stands on the platform at the Democratic National Convention, accepting the riotous applause, ready to give the speech that will launch him into stardom, he stares at Harris, whose face melts from dispassionate disapproval to subdued acceptance. Nice job. But the story, though it has its moments, is a little weak. It's hard to follow the various intrigues and one or two loose ends remain. (Eg., what happens to Melvyn Douglas as he lapses into senility before the cameras?) And some scenes are too drawn out -- Streep and Alda giggling and wrestling around in bed, pouring cold beer on each other. Ditto for a scene with Alda and Harris. We get the point; we get it, honest. It reminded me of another movie that appeared about the same time, Robert Redford's "The Candidate." Neither is an epic expose of political and personal life in Washington. Their ambitions may be hefty but the budgets for both were a little smaller. "The Candidate" is marginally the better movie. Best scene: a rivalry between two pols, Alda and Rip Torn, to see who can east the most of Torn's hellishly hot Cajun stew without throwing up. It's pretty funny. Worth catching once in a while, mainly for the performances.

The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979) Once again, Streep creates cinematic sparks in a role not quite big enough to qualify as a starring vehicle. This time, affecting a southern accent (the first of many roles she would tackle that required linguistic flexibility) she plays a political maneuverer latching onto up-and-coming Senator Alan Alda. Her portrayal is a brittle blend of coiled-up energy and soft southern feminine allure. It's one of my favorite roles she's played to date. Also, look for the seldom-seen onscreen Barbara Harris as Alda's smart and nobody's-fool-of-a-wife. Her quirky way of handling dialogue has always been for me, a text book demonstration for younger actresses on how to make a part your own. There's a fun, sexy scene with Alda and Streep ripping each other's clothes off too though don't expect the exposure you see in movies of the '90s. All in all, it is well worth the effort to seek out this undeservedly-overlooked movie in your local video store.

Strong drama of morals and ambition. Alda has written himself a showcase part and does very well in the lead providing a strong center to the picture and he's aided by two superior actresses, one, Meryl Streep, on the way up and the other Barbara Harris always under-appreciated. Meryl is vulnerable and appealing but Barbara Harris is the treasure, giving the film's best performance and providing the heart that would be missing with her contribution. An incredibly skillful actress who was too unique for Hollywood to utilize properly she speaks volumes without saying a word through subtle facial expression. Also notable is Melvyn Douglas giving another of the marvelous supporting performances that were a staple of the twilight of his career.

The perfect precursor to what Aaron Sorkin and company so wonderfully wrought, Alan Alda and Jerry Schatzberg's intelligent and telling political drama/romance is more like the made for TV movie genre than first run feature. That having been said there's little to take to task here and much to be grateful for including some great character actor turns by Rip Torn and Melvyn Douglas (watch for the gumbo eating/policy thrashing scene) and some shrewd Washington insiders' observations. Somehow, it's hard to imagine Bush, Cheney and the neo cons having nearly half the fun. Streep anchors the proceedings, investing a level of sophisticated theatricality that gives this film its necessary edge. Her robust good nature at proclaiming, "He's my Daddy!", while piloting a small plane, suggests both her southern belle roots as well as her tenacious appetite to be THE woman behind THE man.

Well-acted, occasionally well-observed drama which fails to deliver on its early promise. Joe Tynan is a forthright U.S. Senator, the latest young liberal hotshot, who jeopardizes his long-term marriage and home-life by initiating an affair with a civil rights activist. He's been carrying on with this also-married woman in various hotel rooms on the road, though Tynan's unhappy wife has more on her mind than his infidelity: she wants a life away from the political arena. As Tynan, Alan Alda, who also scripted, opens the film pressing Congress to pass a bill that would create a million new jobs in a distressed economy. One may watch this sequence and feel he's come upon a recent Congressional hearing via C-SPAN. Unfortunately, Bill Conti's animated music reminds us this is just a political lark--a vehicle for Alda, then a hot property from television's "M*A*S*H"--while the film's poor color and visual composition give hint this theatrical release was made on a limited budget. Alda becomes a Presidential hopeful practically off-screen, while his constituents bray in the background and play trade-off with each other's wives at Washington parties. This is all quite trenchant, and Tynan's face-off with a bigoted fellow senator is topical, but Alda's screenplay isn't really interested in the inner-workings of Capitol Hill. He's too anxious to get his character into bed with honey-voiced Meryl Streep (third-billed), who is shown to be a smart and savvy lady--though one who is just as unable to control her desires as Tynan. We don't learn much about the Streep character's situation, however the actress's sneaky, intricate force wheedles its way through and she just about walks off with the picture. Melvyn Douglas is surprisingly frittered away as an elder Senator, while Barbara Harris as Joe's wife isn't allowed to showcase her fringe assets (that dazed-and-dreamy voice coupled with the wobbly retorts). Alda is, of course, ideally cast for the lead, and his pained, sensitive expressions are contrasted quite well with his pent-up exasperation. The movie ultimately doesn't offer much because Alda can't stick with one scenario long enough for the picture to take-off as a whole. The film's overall design is dreadful, and director Jerry Schatzberg shows no style whatsoever, yet those little pinpoints scattered about show that not much has changed in Congress (nor in our country) in the last 31 years. ** from ****

Awfully familiar stuff about persons who take pride in the career over their family and power corrupting, the film is however quite well acted, which brings it above par of its type. Alan Alda and Meryl Streep are both excellent, and although Melvyn Douglas won an Oscar in the same year as this film for 'Being There', he deserves it more here. The acting bridges on being melodramatic from the rest of the cast, but it is hard not to call this a well acted film with those three great performances. There is also some insight into American politics, but the film does assume a bit more than just a basic understanding already, and therefore there is a chance that viewers not familiar with American politics will wind up confused. The music choices are rather poor, and there is one very silly sequence put to square dancing music. Overall though, this is a reasonable film. It does have its flaws, but it has excellent acting to compensate. It might not show anything new or explain everything well, but it is certainly adequate entertainment for its running time.