THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST

THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
1988 121mins. Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Rated: PG
Cast:
William Hurt…………………………………….Macon Leary
Geena Davis……………………………………..Muriel Pritchett
Kathleen Turner…………………………………Sarah Leary
Bill Pullman……………………………………..Julian
Amy Wright……………………………………..Rose Leary
David Ogden Stiers……………………………...Porter Leary
Ed Begley, Jerk…………………………………Charles Leary
Although praised and nominated as the Best Picture of 1988, The Accidental Tourist has never been cited as the influential movie that it is. More than twenty years later, it’s fascinating to see how many future movies copied from The Accidental Tourist. There are connections here to movies as remote as The Sixth Sense, but The Accidental Tourist is most obviously the definite precursor to Up in the Air. On one level it covers much the same ground as that movie, opening with William Hurt’s narration encompassing the many qualms of business travel. It’s also interesting to see how the issue of a business career as an emotionally deadening life, which would come full force in the late 90s with American Beauty and Fight Club, was starting to emerge a decade earlier.
But there are bigger problems in the life of Macon Leary (Hurt). The death of his son wedges between himself and his wife Sarah (Kathleen Turner). It’s especially rough as the boy did not die of an accident but was murdered. The Accidental Tourist is the inverse of Ordinary People. Sarah, the wife, is capable of showing her emotions over the loss more openly than her husband Macon and this is what drives them apart.
The Accidental Tourist is a powerful story about a man burying himself in solitude as a means of hiding his grief and the outstanding performances gives it its heart. Kathleen Turner is phenomenal in the way that Katharine Hepburn was phenomenal playing strong women faced with tragedy. In a devastating moment when Macon has to identify his son’s body, William Hurt’s performance as a man struggling to maintain his composure is understated and effective.
Macon is the author of travel guidebooks. He writes for businessmen who don’t like to be where they are, just like Macon doesn’t like where he is in life. His travel tips are glum reflections of his own status. Then, unexpectedly, balance comes into his life when he is at his lowest. This comes in the form of Muriel, a dog trainer played by Geena Davis.
She is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, quirky and upbeat, and quickly realizes that she needs to reach out to this depressed man and teach him to appreciate life. Muriel represents a very common stock character, but also a hard one to pull off well. Davis is mesmerizing in the role. She is much welcome in this movie because her confidence, sarcasm, and optimism stand for everything that Macon and his insular family do not.
In contrast, Macon’s siblings (who start visiting more often after Sarah leaves) bring a sense of discomfort upon each visit. His sister Rose (Amy Wright) tries too hard to be chipper and perfect. Her brothers (played by David Ogden Stiers and Ed Begley Jr.) are such insensitive deadbeats, however, that it’s hard to resist the pep up when she stands up to them after a Thanksgiving dinner fiasco. Rose’s romantic troubles with her lover Julian (Bill Pullman) act as a mirror to Macon’s case.
Macon starts to come out of his shell of pain, however, thanks to Muriel’s arrival. Muriel is not afraid to take the lead in the relationship, realizing that things wouldn’t go anywhere if she waited for Macon. It’s not a sex-based relationship, but one that fulfills an even deeper longing. Through her and her son Alexander, Macon has a chance to become a father again, something Sarah didn’t allow to happen.
Of course, Sarah shows up again and complicates things. On one hand, Sarah is the mother of Macon’s son. He never wanted to divorce her. On the other hand, Macon has now found Muriel and they love each other. Perhaps Macon never stopped loving Sarah as he seems to try rekindling their relationship.
At this point, The Accidental Tourist loses some of the terse focus it had during its glorious beginning. Tellingly, the less we see of Muriel the less interesting the film becomes. Macon’s decision feels sincere on his part but manipulative on the filmmakers’. It simplifies his healing process by implying that all he needed to cure himself was a wacky girlfriend. Still, it’s nice to seem him returning to Muriel as she brings life into the film.
This story about a self-centered man with two flames that keep bumping into each other would be farcical were it not for the tragic back-story that created the situation. Indeed, that is the sort of movie that The Accidental Tourist was promoted as. This is a common Hollywood strategy for comedies with a darker angle like The Cable Guy and Ghost Town. They are often mismarketed as goofy funfests. Watching The Accidental Tourist for the first time, one is bound to be shocked that the movie puts real love at stake. Macon depends on Muriel to keep him from falling apart but it is Muriel that we feel the most sympathy for. She is the only person in this film who is motivated simply by pure love.