Miracles (1986)

At the time my personal TV was a black and white one, with only 3 active channels (OH MY GOD, WHAT A TRAGEDY THAT WAS !!). Anyhow, back then, I was having a very dull afternoon. But with this movie, it turned into Miracles! All of its elements clicked, especially the cast. Teri Garr is outrageously sexy. She can be innocent, annoying, comic, angry, and vivid, while being so hot in the same time. I rather think she's hot because of doing all of these previous things so self-evidently ! It's great to see her in a movie of this sort. Too bad that cinema didn't use her that well. She could have been a star of some romantic comedies at the time. But alas. In any case, I know that this is a reason why her fans, including me, must cherish this movie best.Tom Conti is fine. He made a productive duet with Teri (loved the scene in which the plane falls down while the 2 are insanely laughing on the situation itself). However why I thought that he was having a strange paroxysm of Peter Sellers ?? He seemed to me haunted, during the whole movie, by the late actor's soul, moves, voice,…etc !I love this comedy. It's filled up with action and mad events. The thing about it is that everything you don't expect happens. Yet, the best of it remains at the fact that this action comedy is about the return of love between 2 people. I just adore genre movies when they have MEANING.For a buddy-movies' freak like me, this movie IS important. It has the formula of "arguing man and woman on the run, who become lovers at last" (a common theme in these movies instead of "2 arguing men on the run, who become friends at last"). This formula is so familiar since older godfathers like Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) and Foul Play (1978). Now in relation with 1986 I listed other similar movies of the same kind were produced, like for instance (No Mercy) and (Shanghai Surprise). Well, they ranged between disastrous and more disastrous. And it's clear that (Miracles) surpasses. Simply nothing was as funny, lusty, or lovable.Finally, it was black and white TV set, but – believe it or not – I just can't forget this movie's colors !

How can you top Tom Conti, Terri Garr, Paul Rodriguez, Christopher Lloyd and a good script? Lots of very clever and subtle (some not-so-subtle) humor as well as a nice message run through this delightful movie.I've always liked Terri Garr anyway (Full Moon in Blue Water, After Hours, and, of course, Young Frankenstein]), so it wasn't much of a stretch for me to love this film.This is the kind of film that turns up at 7AM Sunday morning on a cable movie channel...in point of fact, that's where I first saw it...and catches you by surprise. As soon as it's out in DVD I'm going to snap it up.Besides, any movie that can make the line "look for feet ground" hilarious gets my vote.

Read reviews anywhere about the 1986 version of Miracles starring Terri Garr and you will either see terrible ratings or outstanding ratings. You seldom see any middle ground except in the averages of the reviewers. I thought I would add this thumbs-up rating to balance out the bad. I admit that if you are not in the mood for a comedy, forget this movie. There are no profound morals or insights into life. There is no social injustice righted. Few things in this movie would ever happen in real life. Yet, if you are in the mood for comedy, Miracles (1986) will certainly provide the motivation to laugh.Bad things happen to a recently divorced couple, but in the wake of their misfortunes are subtle "miracles" for others. Part of the humor comes from the fact that when faced with dangerous situations, this bickering couple is more concerned with complaining how each other is reacting to the dilemma than the gravity of the situation itself. There is a wide variety of comedic techniques from slapstick to subtle humor. This movie revolves around a recently divorced couple who have such fundamental differences that they would never get back together in real life. However, this is not real life. It is a romantic comedy where miracles can take place, especially in a movie that bears that name.I was in the mood for a comedy when I watched this movie, and I was not let down.

Unless one nurses a passion for the totally insipid, this movie can not be recommended, since even a talented performer as is Teri Garr can not lift a single scene above a level of mediocrity. Roger (Tom Conti) and Jean (Garr) Briggs are divorcing after ten confrontational years of marriage and as they are separately driving to and from celebratory functions, their vehicles collide due to a swerving maneuver by Jean to avoid striking a fleeing burglar, played by Paul Rodriguez. The felon, Juan, kidnaps the Briggs pair and removes them to his residence where he, along with confederates, robs them and bundles the bound victims into a closet. The duo do not long remain secured and, when Juan's house is unaccountably assailed by a large contingent of police he, along with the Briggs couple naturally escape, evading pursuers while driving to an airport where Juan's partner in crime Harry ( Christopher Lloyd) awaits with a cargo plane laden with illegal narcotics. This aircraft takes off amid police gunfire, flying toward Latin America, piloted eventually by the nonexperienced Roger as the two criminals bail out and the film meanders on, with such as Mexican village police, a native witch doctor, and an assortment of odd miscellany contributing to what is apparently meant to be a type of madcap comedy. The awkwardly organized series of episodes that comprises the film is plotted for comedic effect, but the dialogue is consistently trite and forced, and intended witty bickering of Roger and Jean falls flat. Direction and story are both by Jim Kouf, and each is weak, with featured players having to verbally fill gaps in the action because of flaccid helmsmanship, a flaw that post-production polishing fails to eliminate through the editing process. Conti is miscast and his essays at fervid emotional expression only embarrass a viewer, with talented Garr betrayed throughout by a double handicap of a foolish screenplay and hapless direction.