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Cinematic romances come in all styles. Some are light and fun. Some are surprising. Some are grand and epic. Some are tear-jerkers. Some attract award season attention. But director Michael Mailer’s debut romance, Blind, places a talented cast in the middle of a typical story.
Blind stars Demi Moore as Suzanne Dutchman, the wife of rich and powerful investor Mark Dutchman (Dylan McDermott). When Mark is arrested for his illegal business dealings, Suzanne is sentenced to community service for her possible connection to his investments. She’s sent to work with Bill Oakland (Alec Baldwin), a novelist and professor who lost his sight, his wife, and his passion for life in an accident years ago. And as Suzanne is forced to spend hours with Bill, reading his students’ work to him, both gain a new perspective.
Blind isn’t exactly what you might expect after glancing over the cast list—but it’s definitely the cast that makes the film. Though it’s stirred up its share of controversy over the casting of Alec Baldwin as a blind character, he nevertheless gives a solid performance as the cranky, bitter author who’s all but thrown in the towel. His performance isn’t as over-the-top as some have been, but the character is familiar: sarcastic and often rude—yet strangely charming, too. Bill isn’t always a solid, consistent character, but Baldwin still manages to give him a little bit of that all-important spark.
Moore also adds life to a rather flat character, gradually transforming Suzanne from a spoiled, pampered socialite to a thoughtful woman whose life is more than just spa appointments and high-profile functions. And even some of the supporting cast members give noteworthy performances.
The film’s biggest surprise is that this cast signed on for a rather run of the mill romance. Sure, the roles come with both challenges and opportunities, but the story is pretty conventional. At times, it’s a little too cheesy or a little too melodramatic, and it feels like a soap opera—or a made-for-TV movie. And, really, in the hands of a less capable cast, it probably would have gone straight to video. Fortunately, though, with a cast like this, it’s often easy to overlook the cheesiness—or at least accept it.
Blind certainly won’t be remembered for its surprising story or moving drama—in fact, it probably won’t be remembered much at all. But Baldwin and Moore both turn in respectable performances—and that should be enough to help romance fans appreciate this otherwise unremarkable drama.
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