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Wine and Whine - Interesting Perspectives
Rosanna Arquette directs this documentary (originally on Showtime) about the problem actresses over the age of forty have getting quality roles. There's a lot of truth told here, but the routine becomes exhausting after twenty minutes. In nearly every scene, groups of actresses (Diane Lane, Teri Garr, Holly Hunter, Meg Ryan Sharon Stone and more) are shown partying with wine in hand and complaining about the big male Hollywood thugs who only look at their tits. To be fair, there is truth to this, but the general atmosphere is a non-ending complaint fest. Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave (both solo interviews) add some needed class with their own interpretations of what happens when an actress reaches a certain age, but they are few and far between. It was also hard to believe that Redgrave cannot afford to retire. Whoopi Goldberg is refreshing with her funny, no-nonsense, laissez-faire observation about the realities of life.

However, the actresses interviewed forget that there really are some women with talent over forty that are working. How about Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchette, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, Jessica Lange, Naomi Watts, Gena Rowlands, Anjelica Huston, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Jodie Foster, Emily Watson, Patricia Clarkson, Ellen Burstyn, Kathy Bates, Diane Keaton, Annette Bening, Helen Mirren and Sissy Spacek? I like all of the actresses in this documentary, but they are not the best of Hollywood. When Debra Winger does appear near the end of the film, we find yet another interesting take on an 'older'actresses life. It seems to put the entire film in perspective and a surprising one at that. It would be interesting to see a follow-up documentary to hear the responses from the aforementioned actresses after hearing Winger's point of view.

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Celebrities' Humanity
Rosanna Arquette heads up this exploration of the pressures, choices and sacrifices that female actors face working in the entertainment industry, particularly as they hit 40 and begin being overlooked for certain roles. Debra Winger is the example of a pioneer in this battle because of her decision to bow out of the industry while still in her prime.

Director:Rosanna Arquette
Starring:

Credited cast:
Patricia Arquette .... Herself
Rosanna Arquette .... Herself
Emmanuelle Béart .... Herself
Katrin Cartlidge .... Herself
Laura Dern .... Herself
Roger Ebert .... Himself
Jane Fonda .... Herself
Teri Garr .... Herself
Whoopi Goldberg .... Herself
Melanie Griffith .... Herself
Daryl Hannah .... Herself
Salma Hayek .... Herself
Holly Hunter .... Herself
Anjelica Huston .... Herself
Diane Lane .... Herself
Kelly Lynch .... Herself
Julianna Margulies .... Herself
Chiara Mastroianni .... Herself
Samantha Mathis .... Herself
Frances McDormand .... Herself
Catherine O'Hara .... Herself
Julia Ormond .... Herself
Gwyneth Paltrow .... Herself
Martha Plimpton .... Herself
Charlotte Rampling .... Herself
Vanessa Redgrave .... Herself
Theresa Russell .... Herself
Meg Ryan .... Herself
Ally Sheedy .... Herself
Adrienne Shelly .... Herself
Hilary Shepard .... Herself
Sharon Stone .... Herself
Tracey Ullman .... Herself
JoBeth Williams .... Herself
Debra Winger .... Herself
Alfre Woodard .... Herself
Robin Wright Penn .... Herself
(more)

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Five stars for content -- whole lotta collective wisdom
I salute Ms. Arquette for doing something original: piercing the facade of the successful actress stereotype and inducing a plethora of fascinating and accomplished women to speak openly about their life experiences. The film works well at a number of levels -- personally I am not AS interested in acting per se as I am in creativity in general, and there was ample interesting material on what it means to be creative, and on the tension between pursuing one's creativity and achieving balance in one's life. Beyond the creativity issue, there is the equally interesting question of how one should approach aging and what growing older means; it was an inspiration and a pleasure seeing so many women who are past their Hollywood "primes" talking about the pressures, but also the rewards, of aging. I suspect there are not many men who would enjoy this film, which is a shame because men face these issues too. But this film is a gold mine of material for women, and particularly female artists working in any medium. I also enjoyed the soundtrack. I only gave three stars because, notwithstanding the good concept and the excellent quality of some of the interviews, the film shifted focus a lot: one second we're hearing about how Hollywood only cares about sex appeal, the next we're hearing how hard it is for an actress to raise kids, the next we're hearing about the challenges of nurturing both an intimate relationship and a career, the next we're hearing about what it means to be an aging actress. And, actually, the nominal subject of the film, Debra Winger, raises a whole separate issue, which is why we even need the outward trappings of success to be "successful" in our lives and creative pursuits. Also, the camera work was pretty basic, and the editing of the piece as a "documentary" could have been much more imaginative. Other than using the scenes from "The Red Shoes," which was inspired, the film was almost nothing but talking heads. A few family photos would have been refreshing, for instance, when Ms. Arquette talked about her mother raising five creative kids and stifling her own creativity. Or some scenes from films in which some of the interviewees had starred. Or any little detail to enrich the film's texture. Although the comparison may be unfair, Michael Moore understands how to make a documentary visually riveting; just because a film is a "documentary" doesn't mean it should ignore the pursuit of "movie magic."