Honeysuckle Rose Review

Loosely based on Ingrid Bergman's first Hollywood movie, Intermezzo, this Widescreen musical vehicle for Willie Nelson affords him the opportunity to sing all his pre-1980 hits and flex his crinkly face in a few acting scenes. Willie is on the road again as a C&W star whose rootless lifestyle sometimes makes him forget that he has Dyan Cannon waiting for him at home, especially when the daughter (Irving) of his long-time sidekick (Slim Pickens) joins his band and starts fluttering her eyelashes at him. The plot is pretty off-the-peg and the competent performances and Jerry Schatzberg's excellent direction can't quite lift it out of a dramatic rut, but Nelson's fans can fast-forward through the talking and savour lots of chances for their idol to uncork his tonsils.