mark.waltz Something tells me that if this film had been made in the 1940's, it might have been considered "pro-Communist". Three young people with different issues get together and rent a dilapidated house where they can feel accepted and support each other when times get really rough. Insensitive neighbors create all sorts of problems for them, but even though they take a beating along the road, they definitely make it through the wilderness. Each of their stories are told in detail, from the facially scarred Liza Minnelli, the wheel-chair bound Robert Moore and the handsome Ken Howard who suffers from epilepsy.Liza's opening sequence, recalling her scarring at the hands of sex fiend suitor Ben Piazza, is truly frightening, and it is disturbing to watch her seemingly willingly disrobe in front of him then become his target of vengeance after she lightly teases him about it. Moore is a gay man with paralyzed legs, raised by obvious gay men after his mother took off to Argentina, and Howard is troubled by seizures even though he seems quite normal on the surface. When he gets a job working in James Coco's fish shop, a nasty neighbor accuses him of being a sodomite and gets him fired. There's no real plot to hold all their stories together other than their support of each other, but even in spite of the weird situations and "mod" feel of the film, it all ends up being pretty touching and especially extremely well acted.While Howard manages to fall in love with Liza, it's a bittersweet feeling for her. "Something happened to me and I don't think that I could love a man ever again", she says, paralleling her real life and also the fact that during the filming of this, her mother Judy Garland died, adding to the intensity of her performance. Like Pookie Adams from "The Sterile Cuckoo", Junie Moon is a girl desperate for love (she obviously doesn't get much from her mother who is seen briefly prior to the horrible acid attack) yet she is not just physically and emotionally scarred, but on the verge of becoming one of the walking dead should one more heartbreak attack her soul. Her large eyes scream in both character and real life, "Please love me!", and this becomes so horrifyingly realistic that her performance is both heart-felt and scary.Liza actually asks Ken Howard, "What would I do with sequins?" when he promises to buy her a sequined dress. To top off her "drag-queen" off-screen persona, there's Kay Thompson as the eccentric wealthy landlady who in her first scene looks like a World War I pilot in drag, reminding me very much of Rosalind Russell in "Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung you in the Closet, and I'm Feeling so Sad". The scene with her and Moore and a very large cross was rather bizarre, but then this was Otto Preminger during the days of "Skidoo" and "Such Good Friends" which were even more bizarre than this! Then, there's the surprising presence of Fred Williamson as a gay man known as "beach boy" who flirts with Moore, a far cry from all those "Blaxploitation" movies he later appeared in.The recurring use of Pete Seeger's song "Old Devil Time" is very touching, and it's one of those late 1960's/early 70's movie themes that has to be heard in the context of the film. There's all sorts of other surprises, whether it be veteran actress Anne Revere as a hospital social worker, T.V. veteran Nancy Marchand in a cameo as a nurse, and the delightfully sweet black character actress Clarice Taylor as the patient in bed next to Liza who later visits the threesome's house. This isn't a film for all tastes (were any of Preminger's post 1960?), but it is one you'll never forget and one that will touch you deeply if you open up your heart enough to let it.

dechampsmathieu I have been for some time a great fan of Otto Preminger's work and cinematic career. From "Laura" (1944) to "Advise & Consent" (1962), the Austrian director has demonstrated that he is capable of indisputable Hollywood masterpieces. Yet, the later work of Preminger finds me puzzled and bewildered. "Tell me that you love me, Junie Moon" is certainly not a good film. On the contrary, it is a clear sign of the director's fatigue and decadence. The plot is full of outworn clichés and Marjorie Kellogg's screenplay is often weak and naive - from Arthur's ridiculous hallucinations to the vacation, there's nothing veritable. Moreover, Preminger doesn't seem to be interested to add his characteristic style in the direction. Some scenes are clumsily set and the film generally has the form of an unimaginative b-movie melodrama. The only two scenes that we can distinguish are the one in the cemetery and the visit to the rich landlady's house - Preminger successfully outlines the baroque atmosphere of these scenes. Liza Minelli gives a decent performance, Robert Moore is more interesting and Ken Howard typically mediocre. Finally, there is nothing special about the soundtrack - "Old Devil Time" is a dull and pretentious ballad and there's nothing memorable about the rest - which is very disappointing, as well as Saul Bass's opening title.

The_Rook Junie Moon is an interesting friendship movie. Great unusual characters that band together and help each other. Junie becomes terribly disfigured from a mean man. She finds herself relying on other people with there own special problems. The characters will grow on you. Good acting, directing, and decent sets. It has been years since I saw it at the theater. I still have never forgot it because of the types of people and how they dealt with their personal problems. I would definitely buy it if it was available on DVD. Not appropriate for young children. Some adult situations. To bad it isn't out on video of any kind. Until it is check out "The Station Manager", another great unusual friendship movie.

Capboy I'm a big Liza fan, and this is certainly an unusual departure for her, but I find "Junie Moon" hard to take seriously. My first exposure to it was on The Late Show; I thought then it was a camp classic right up there with "Valley of the Dolls". It has not aged well; Preminger's direction is ham-handed and obvious, and most of the performances are waaay over-the-top. Still, there are delights: Kay Thompson (way waaaaaaaay over-the-top in her last movie), Fred Williamson as a gigolo, Julie Bovasso "pantsing" Ken Howard and of course, Miss Minnelli, probably miscast but giving it her all. Here's another potential cult item languishing in Paramount's vaults that really should be released on video--my video store guy told me this is one of the most requested titles of movies not yet available. Who knew?