Efrat Lavie Movies
This earnest, intelligent, and well-written romantic comedy is enjoyable and optimistic in classic Hollywood style, even if its idealism doesn't seem quite so credible against the cynical political backdrop of the Nineties. President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), an unabashedly liberal Democrat, is just gearing up for re-election when he meets an attractive and sharp environmental lobbyist named Sydney Wade (Annette Bening). The two fall in love and the President must soon deal with the political repercussions (Sydney is trying to get legislation through Congress), as well as the cynical machinations of Republican opponent Senator Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss), who attempts to paint Sydney as a radical and use "family values" rhetoric to smear Shepherd. With the attacks affecting his standings in the all-important polls, and his love's legislation causing him headaches in the Capitol, Shepherd must decide whether he can risk continuing his relationship. A rich supporting cast, solid characterizations by Douglas and Bening, and an articulate approach make this an appealing, if not particularly weighty, study of the tensions between public and private life. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, (more)
A year after appearing in the box-office sleeper Shanghai Surprise, pop superstar Madonna starred in the screwball comedy Who's That Girl? She plays Nikki Finn, who is being released from prison after serving a four-year sentence for a murder she didn't commit. Meanwhile, wealthy lawyer Loudon (Griffin Dunne) is about to get married that afternoon to the snobby Wendy (Haviland Morris), the daughter of Simon Worthington (John McMartin). Worthington does not approve of the wedding and he wants Nikki out of town as soon as possible, so he sends Loudon to collect Nikki and take her to the bus station. Instead, the flamboyant Nikki seeks her revenge while trying to find out what happened to her friend Johnny, which causes Loudon a lot of trouble. Naturally, wild action ensues -- some of it involving an escaped Cougar belonging to Loudon's boss, the millionaire animal collector Montgomery Bell (John Mills) -- and Loudon having to choose between the prim Wendy and the unpredictable Nikki. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Madonna, Griffin Dunne, (more)
- 1985
In this conventional tale of middle-age angst, Effi Avidar (Chaim Topol) is having second thoughts about his marriage after he has a close brush with heart problems. Rejecting his poetess-wife, he looks back at his previous marriage and feels the dreams he had then are worth salvaging as he makes an effort to leave his materialistic treadmill existence behind. Meanwhile, the Israeli Labor Party is also undergoing a similar internal inspection, as the 1977 elections have just put the rightists in power for the first time. And if that is not enough, Effi is also having trouble trying to leap the generation gap that separates him from his daughter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Topol, Galia Topol, (more)
- 1980
Engaging and controversial in its own way, this personal look at a little boy's life and times undoubtedly relies on director Dan Wolman's own experiences. The setting is just before Israel gained independence and 12-year-old Uri is not doing well in school. His parents have left him with Grandpa because they are busy in politics. Picking up on this cue, Uri plays games in which he fights Arabs and Brits without really understanding the reasons why they are "enemies." After Grandpa hires a young tutor to help Uri do better in school, the little boy eventually comes to really care for the man. Then disaster strikes -- Uri finds out some of his tutor's friends are Arabs, and he is sent into a tailspin. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gila Almagor, Doron Tavori, (more)
- 1975
The Israeli My Michael is based on a novel by Amos Oz. Michael (Oded Kotler) is a pleasant but plodding geologist. He is married to a lovely young woman (Eirat Lavi), and so far as he is concerned, everything in the garden is lovely. The wife, on the other hand, suffers from terminal boredom, spending her idle hours imagining (in Belle de Jour fashion) that she is being raped by two childhood friends. Director Dan Wolman does such a good job conveying a sense of ennui that the audience is hard put to stay awake. My Michael was originally released as Michael Sheli. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Oded Kotler, Efrat Lavie, (more)
- 1973
During World War II, unusual opportunities to escape the fate of most Jews sometimes presented themselves. In this film, a Jewish doctor who has founded an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto gets such an opportunity, but elects to remain with his charges even at the cost of his life. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
In this Israeli musical, shot in old Jaffa and Jerusalem and based on a popular stage show, a street-wise war hero inspires his neighbors to fight back against the developers endeavoring to destroy their neighborhood. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1971
This film moves the Romeo and Juliet story to Tel Aviv, has the rival families be insurance brokers Katz and Karosso, and changes the number of tragic couples from one to two. In this Israeli comedy, the story has a happy ending. One interesting feature of the film is the astonishing number of barely concealed merchandising plugs it contains: in that regard it is practically a filmed yellow pages. Adjustments in the plot appear to have been made to accommodate the use of name-brand items. While it is not surprising that this film was not well-reviewed, it is a great curiosity piece. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
