(1999)
2.5
Tom Wiener
Even if movies made for television and in particular those made for cable channels have made great strides in approaching historical subjects with some measure of sophistication and thoughtfulness, there are still holdovers from the by-the-numbers school, as evidenced by this treatment of Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman's stormy 30-year relationship. Even two actors as normally nuanced as Sam Shepard and Judy Davis can't seem to add a third dimension to the predictable script by Jerry Ludwig and the timid direction by Kathy Bates. The arc of the couple's relationship is right out of A Star Is Born; as they meet, Hammett is beginning his long slide into alcoholic oblivion and Hellman her meteoric rise to glory. Casting Bebe Neuwirth as Dorothy Parker was an inspired choice, but even she seems dampened down by the proceedings. There are two moments in which the film achieves some eloquence: While Hellman is typing away on one floor of the couple's farmhouse, Hammett is ripping sheet after sheet of paper out of his typewriter; and Hellman's May 1952 speech to the House Un-American Activities Committee during the dark days of the McCarthy witch hunts.
cast-crew for Dash and Lilly on AllMovie
Dash and Lilly (1999)
