Murphy’s Romance

Directed by Martin Ritt, Murphy’s Romance follows single mom Emma Moriarty (Sally Field) as she and her young son (Corey Haim’s Jake) move to a small Arizona town and eventually befriend a local pharmacist named Murphy Jones (James Garner). Filmmaker Ritt, working from Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch’s screenplay, delivers a deliberately-paced drama that grows more and more absorbing as it progresses, to be sure, as the movie, which remains engaging throughout, boasts an exceedingly lackadaisical first half that isn’t quite as engrossing or captivating as one might’ve hoped – although, by that same token, it’s impossible to resist the movie’s impressively lived-in atmosphere and proliferation of stellar performances. (Field is excellent here, certainly, and yet there’s little doubt that Garner’s often unreasonably charming and charismatic turn remains an ongoing highlight.) It’s clear, then, that Murphy’s Romance‘s agreeable, easygoing vibe paves the way for a compulsively watchable midsection rife with entertaining interludes and encounters, while the note-perfect final scene ensures that the whole thing concludes on just about as heartwarming and satisfying a note as one could envision – thus cementing the picture’s place as a slow-burn romance that benefits substantially from the often enthralling work of its actors.

***1/2 out of ****