T.R. Baskin (1971)

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

The acting in this movie is really good.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A wonderful, albeit very melancholy, movie starring Candice Bergen as a recent transplant to Chicago who finds the big city beyond daunting. THAT GIRL this isn't. From her cryptic name (T.R., but mistaken as P.R., D.R., etc) and creepy dates to her absurdly dirty apartment, Bergen gets hit with all that urban America has to offer. Bergen executes herself nicely in her most substantial film role (up to this time). She was fine in her small role in CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, but here carries a film for the first time. Director Herbert Ross wisely surrounds her with a first-rate supporting cast including Peter Boyle, Marcia Rodd (excellent as Bergen's acerbic co-worker and friend) and, in a very strange role, James Caan. Perhaps not as ironic as planned,Peter Hyams wrote the witty script and hasn't produced anything as good since (either as writer or director). Somehow this movie's been buried for years.

T.R. Baskin was a favorite of mine. I have been trying to find it for years. With a cast as strong as this, I wonder why it has never been released in DVD or video. I would love having some help finding this!! What resonated with me was a line Bergen had - How do you know when you are accepting too little for yourself or expecting too much? I have been trying to answer this my whole life. I didn't remember that it was shot in Chicago, and I would love to see the 1971 shots of that as well.And I remember the music too was excellent. Please re-release it!Candace Bergen stood out as a performer in this. I knew of her acting before this - but she really stood out in this role.

I saw this movie when it came out in the theatres and I loved it. I haven't been able to find a copy yet. It is only listed on the IMDB. I still use many of the lines I remember from the film. Such as, "Do I have any mail?" to the mailman. He says, "What's your name?" She says, "Occupant" Not as a smart alec reply but more in saddness. She is 18 to 22 years old and applying for a job with a woman personel interviewer. The lady asks if she has been convicted of a crime. Bergan answers, "27 arrests, no convictions" The lady writes down "None"The other characters are all equally memorable and touching. It is bittersweet and realistic, without becoming maudlin. I reccommend that you see it if you get the chance.

This film is in some ways a guilty pleasure--it's occasionally hokey--but I like it because it reminds me of the wonder I felt on my first few visits to Chicago (I'm a small-town girl too). I eventually moved there, staying more than a decadebefore moving on to L.A.; my experience was, on the whole, much more positive than T.R.'s, but I can relate to her and to what she's going through. That's a good deal of this movie's appeal--the characters and the situations all have the ring of truth. Kudos to writer Peter Hyams and director Herbert Ross. T.R. may be lonely and lacking in direction, but she's also intelligent, feisty, and nobody's fool, and it's easy to understand how she feels as she tries to build an independent life and find personal and professional satisfaction. Candice Bergen's delivery of her lines is sometimes a bit stilted, but her performance is largely praiseworthy; so are those of the supporting cast, especially Marcia Rodd, James Caan, Peter Boyle, and Howard Platt (very convincing as a real jerk). The filmmakers also make good use of the Chicago setting, with shots of Carson's State Street store, the el, and other landmarks, and the movie's full of early-'70s atmosphere--the clothes, the music, the singles bars, and the fact that the modern women'smovement had a lot of work to do.