Scent of A Woman

Scent of a Woman is about Charles Simms (Chris O’Donnell), a Boston prep school senior, and the Thanksgiving weekend he spends working as the aide and companion of Lt. Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino), an embittered, lonely, blind veteran. The job, which begins as an onerous task performed principally for money, becomes a tour of self-discovery when Slade decides to make an unexpected visit to New York City.

There are numerous dynamic scenes in Scent of a Woman, along with a surprising amount of comedy. Director/Producer Martin Brest knows how to blend humor with drama to good effect. His mix is nearly flawless, and he manages to do almost (and I emphasize almost) the entire film without resorting to manipulative tricks. Pacino’s tango scene with Gabrielle Anwar is one such magical moment – unfettered, unforced, and highly enjoyable.

For as long as Brest and Goldman allow Frank to exist on his own ridiculous terms, the character — and the movie — work beautifully. And Pacino does a masterful job of making Frank’s acid one-liners and put-downs hilariously funny. But then the filmmakers seem to have decided that they wanted to paint themselves into a corner all along. When Frank becomes “lovably” misanthropic — which has been a perpetual danger since the start — the movie reverses its position on him. The creators decide they want him to just be a blind guy after all, which allows them to score easy, sentimental points and give the film an upbeat, life-affirming Capraesque ending.