For The Boys (1991 Mark Rydell)

Another successful collaboration between Rydell and Bette Midler (he directed her in The Rose), charting singing-comedy relationship between her and James Caan (who's not got a bad voice) over the years.. over the wars. Neal Jiminez and Lindy Laub wrote the story and Marshall Brickman (Annie Hall, Manhattan) helped write the screenplay (he actually gets higher billing). Stephen Goldblatt shoots diffused. We didn't recognise Billy Bob Thornton as a soldier. With George Segal, Patrick O'Neal, Christopher Rydell (son of) as the grown-up son and Norman Fell. And Arye Gross as the young man who comes to get her and hears the whole story.

Terrific make-up ages the stars beautifully over fifty year period.

Quite long but good.