Tender, touching Sweet November - STAR BYTES by Butch Francisco

As a kid who grew up without a budget for entertainment, I had to content myself watching movies only on TV (and this was at a time when there was still no cable television). One of the more memorable foreign films I saw on TV then was Sweet November. This movie was filmed in 1968 but was shown on RPN-9 much later (probably 1974 or 1975).

Sweet November starred Sandy Dennis as a free spirit who may be likened to Magnolia ice cream: There’s always a new flavor every month.

In the movie, Sandy takes in a new man every month to live with her in her Brooklyn flat. The purpose of this rather strange arrangement is not just for the sake of promiscuity. In the process of living in with her, she also gets to help men with problems overcome their weaknesses.

And for the month of November … no, it’s not buco-pandan – we’re not talking of ice cream here – she takes in Anthony Newley (of Stagecoach and Alice in Wonderland fame), an English businessman whose only focus is work.

By living in with Sandy Dennis, Newley learns to loosen up, relax and appreciate the simple joys of life. Newley eventually falls in love with Sandy Dennis and even proposes marriage – which she doesn’t accept because she has a terminal illness. Instead, she terminates her arrangement with Newley and takes in a new man for the month of December.

Although the story of Sweet November is highly improbable, I’d say that it’s still a joy to watch because of its many tender and touching moments.

Anthony Newley and Sandy Dennis (who won Best Supporting Actress in the 1966 Oscar Awards for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) may not be all that great looking, but they certainly have great chemistry between them.

Best of all, I liked its theme song which, sadly, never became a popular tune. I’m probably just one of the very few in this country – or perhaps even in the whole world – who knows the song. (Don’t take that like I’m bragging – I simply have a weird taste for music.) But its lyrics and melody – believe me – are beautiful. And if I may turn this column into a cheap song hits booklet just this once, allow me to share with you the lyrics of the Sweet November theme song:

Sweet November … they say you’re wintry and gray…/

And yet the clouds that you bring are sweeter than spring and warmer than May/

When I remember November sunshine … you’re beautiful than today…/

Beating it through (I’m not sure if I got this line correct though), but what can I do to make Sweet November stay?/

Come December, when our November is through… I’ll face the winter and smile…/

For I know that I’ll be thinking of you…/

When I remember November sunshine, I won’t mind December’s rain…/

For me, it would be November again.

Baduy? Maybe so. But I was very young then – and so easy to please. It may not have turned out to be a classic, but this theme song – I have to say – was a great accompaniment to the film.

The remake of Sweet November (still showing in Metro Manila theaters) no longer uses this theme song. The plot of the new film, however, is still basically the same.

In the new version, Keanu Reeves is cast as a top advertising executive whose ego is as big as the Araneta Coliseum. Since he considers himself as God’s gift to the advertising industry, he becomes cocky in his ways. Unfortunately for him, he bungles up one big account and loses his high-paying job. Enter Charlize Theron, an animal caregiver with unconventional ways.

Although their initial meeting proves to be unpleasant (at the Department of Motor Vehicle where they take an exam to renew their driver’s license), Keanu eventually agrees (though quite reluctantly) to live with Charlize Theron in her apartment for one month. It is Charlize’s hope to turn Keanu into a warmer and more caring person. She’s an overwhelming success in this new project and even wins the heart of Keanu Reeves. But too bad, their joy is short-lived because she’s sick and will soon die in the end.

Now, shoot me for revealing the ending. But if you have enough sense to listen to me, you’ll probably even build a monument in my honor for sparing you the trouble of driving to the mall – only to end up writhing in pain while watching this terribly slow film.

For a movie set in hilly San Francisco, this film comes out as flat as the Central Plain of Luzon. This new version even fails to capture the charm and warmth of the original Sweet November.

While I do appreciate the film’s message – to enjoy life while there’s still time – the solution it offers is hardly practical.

As a busy advertising executive, Keanu Reeves never had the time to smell the flowers. Under the influence of Charlize Theron, however, he learns not just to slow down, but go on a full stop. So he gallivants all day and lives life to the fullest.

Now, I’m sure you and I would also like to have a life like that. But how many among us can afford it? In the case of Charlize Theron’s character, she can go on living like that. She’s going to die soon, anyway – morbid as it may sound. Of course, we, too, also have to go. When? That’s the problem. Nobody knows. But meanwhile, we have to earn a living for today and, especially, for the future.

Sweet November makes everything look so simplistic. Maybe because its writer and director are simpletons.

The people behind the remake of Sweet November perhaps should be told that life cannot always be sweet. It can also be bitter and sour – very much like the unpleasant aftertaste that stays with you long after watching this slow, dragging and hopelessly boring film.