Author! Author!

Directed by Arthur Hiller, Author! Author! follows playwright Ivan Travalian (Al Pacino) as his ongoing efforts at launching a new production are stymied by a variety of relationship and family issues. Filmmaker Hiller, working from Israel Horovitz, delivers a subdued and often exceedingly deliberate drama that nevertheless remains quite watchable for the duration of its (overlong) running time, and it’s apparent, certainly, that the picture’s mild success is due in no small part to Pacino’s engrossing turn as the somewhat volatile protagonist – with the effectiveness of Pacino’s work here certainly matched by a strong supporting cast that includes Dyan Cannon, Tuesday Weld, and Alan King. (It’s clear, as well, that the various children in the cast manage to transform their respectively (and uniformly) precocious characters into affable, sympathetic figures.) The decidedly episodic bent of Author! Author!‘s midsection does result in an erratic vibe that persists right through to the finale, to be sure, with the upbeat conclusion ensuring, at least, that the whole thing ends on a palpably positive note – which ultimately cements the picture’s place as a sleepy yet entertaining piece of work that’s mostly more engaging than one might’ve anticipated.

*** out of ****