Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Good concept, poorly executed.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It's 1938 Albany, NY. Francis Phelan (Jack Nicholson) is a former baseball player and a drunken drifter. His friend Rudy (Tom Waits) is dying of cancer. He visits his son's grave lamenting accidentally killing him after four beers. He abandoned his family many years ago. He finds his drinking buddy Helen Archer (Meryl Streep) at the mission. He is haunted by three ghosts including a scab (Nathan Lane) he killed as a striking trolley worker and a hobo who tried to chop off his feet. He visits his wife Annie Phelan (Carroll Baker).Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep get to do some good acting. The story meanders quite a lot. It's not a plot where there is a place to go. I guess Francis does have a destination and possibly salvation. The main problem for me is that Nicholson and Streep separate midway through the movie. Streep is late to the movie to begin with. This needs both great actors together for the whole movie.

Watching Streep's creation of Helen Archer is a complete joy, from her poignant silences to her gemuetlich cabaret turn, humorous, tragic, moving but never maudlin. The character puts me in mind of that other sublime derelict from opera, Kundry, for whom it would seem Meryl has done workshops throughout her career. In addition to her Helen Archer, We have her femme fatale, Jill, in Manhattan, Madeline Ashton, a woman cursed with a Kundry-like longevity, like that of Emilia Marti from The Makropoulos Case, albeit actively sought and dearly paid for. Don't get me wrong, I loved the performance of Katarina Dalayman in the Met's most recent production of Parsifal, but, during my second viewing, not in the opera house, but in an HD theater, it became clear that one really needs an actress as mindful as Streep to make this spectacular acting opportunity realized to full satisfaction. She should take off for a year to work on it. And her voice. Yes, she will be required to sing high B and low B on the same word, Lachte. That vocal firework explodes as Kundry describes the ancient sin that occasioned her self-imposed curse. It has kept her alive over a thousand years in many guises: Herodias, Gundryggia and many personalities the audience never hears about. Now in the employ of Klingsor, she is required to tempt and bring down Parsifal, yet another vulnerable protector of the Grail. Streep would have amazing growth potential in that second act. For here she needs to communicate infinite wisdom, dumbness, innocence, guilt, power and impotence simultaneously. In the third act she is without a single line or note to perform, and yet a central character transformed as much as Parsifal himself. I'm sure she could meet the challenge of performing in silence with impressive creativity. As in all great scripts, this libretto is open ended in a way that would afford a freedom of interpretation any actor would sign on for. She could pull it off vocally, too. Back in 1977, before Broadway singers were miked, she did Lillian Holiday in Happy End and was a knockout vocally. In fact, one was surprised later when she chose to do non-musical roles. It was an operatic voice. Yes, 37 years have passed. But a Parsifal movie would not require the vocal heft required to fill the 4,000 seat Met opera. Moreover, computers do amazing things these days to add and subtract age. Yes, of course, it's four and a half hours long and Wagner, so it wouldn't exactly pay for itself, but would probably end up being definitive with the involvement of such an artist.

Ironweed is the story of a drifter (Jack Nicholson), who spends Halloween in his hometown after not returning for more than a decade.Why did Francis Phelan (Nicholson), not return to his hometown? Well, year before he returned, he was holding his baby, and...he dropped it. Not really more is said, except that the baby died.Phelan's wife Helen Archer (Meryl Streep) isn't as angry that he's back as you'd think she'd be.The movie is really about the Halloween night between Helen, Francis, and others.If you like Nicholson, or Streep. You'll like this.

Depressing subject matters are not everyones cup of tea, so it would seem. I have noticed more than once that a really great drama is given poor marks and if you look at the comments what you really are hearing is someone saying that they just can not deal with the subject. That reminds me of people who complain that Leonard Cohen's music is too dark and mournful. The good thing about great art is that it stands the test of time.William Kennedy's novel is about as bleak as the movie; he wrote a very good script from the novel. Funny guy Kennedy: he's lived his whole life in Albany, New York. The city made the single impression on him of utter desperation. Not an overly pretty postcard for his hometown; however, it won him the Pullitzer, I do believe.I saw this film years ago and was just so moved. Eventually I bought the book and got around to reading it last year. Very grim portrayal of a backwater city in Upper New York, still reeling from the dark rivers of wrecked lives left over from the depression. The story takes place almost moments from the onset of World War two; it is important to note that for many American's long down on their luck, the war years put many of them back to work and back on their feet. Not so for this small group of "bums" and lost souls.Without giving away the gist of the story, it is about people who cannot shake the consuming shadows of their private hurts, as they slowly but surely decay into complete self destruction. In a nutshell this is the story and it can be repeated in any century and any country. The great depression was a world wide phenomenon and destroyed millions of lives, wrecked families, tore apart farming communities and was the crux upon which Hitler rationalized striking back at the black sheep all around Germany. Several great novels from America hearken from the Depression era. Steinbecks "Grapes of Wrath" is a fine example. "Ironweed" is yet another.As a big fan of Nicolson and Streep, two of the greatest actors of their generation and who paired very well in several movies, they are at the height of their powers. Jack seems to have an affinity for this time period and is often at his very best when portraying the down and out in difficult straights. Given the meaty material there is much here that he can run away with and chew up the screen, over acting to his hearts content. That would be easy for a man of talents. However, we are watching a master. It being a given that this is a broken man returning to his home town in a very long time (I won't say why...gives away too much) and that his demons are well ahead of him, destroying what is left of his mind at the neck of any bottle of alcohol, he underplays the moments as they come and just lets the pain show without a self conscious attention grabbing performance. Jack knows that there is so much going on in the script that he is well supported in each scene, hence he can broker between what is needed on an emotional level.One scene with Jack lingers and touched me very deeply. Visiting with family, facing their wrath face on, not flinching when the verbal punches come, he stands before them willing to accept, for the time being, all of their pain, if only they would give him a small room in their lives, even for a few hours. At the cusp of this turmoil, surrounded by his family, Jack remarks about how miracles are happening all around, referring to the one just in that room. It is a scene of most profound and quiet family gestalt and resolution. I have never watched a more moving moment. It is worth waiting for.....Streep gives what might be one of the most dynamic and heart rending performances by any woman in cinematic history. Her evocation of a dying and emotionally destroyed one-time radio singer is something every aspiring actress would do well to study. Her spiral into various levels of intoxication and self-destruction leading to barely sane dialogs with her thoughts is hard to watch, so painful and yet elegant.These are actors who cannot dare give a shallow portrayal of people who are on the quick road to death. That would not honor the material. All of the cast are superb and of course Tom Waits is a delight. Watch for his gravel breathed rendition of "Candy Mountain".This is great film making and a deeply sad drama. If these types of stories give you pause, then sure, look away. But, know for a certainty that what you see on the screen is what happened. It was a very bad time for many people and there is simply no sugar coating that time period. It is not a triumph against odds. It is Requiem for the destroyed. Both Nicholson and Streep show why they are revered. A disturbing story but one of the best dramas ever portrayed. Highly recommended.