A LITTLE ROMANCE (1979) *** Continental Europe, coming of age in the late '70s, sentimentality that lasts forever, the canals of Venice, jumping off of moving trains, pushing gondoliers off their gondola. It may not be Laurence Olivier's grandest performance but he shines very brightly at times (especially when proudly announcing himself as a pickpocket in French) and the kids (Diane Lane, Thelonious Bernard) give him enough of a run for his (lifted) money that I would have expected much more from each of them than we eventually got. Sally Kellerman, who sang the sappiest love song to Jerry Brown in the Santa Monica hanger that I will never forget, is best of all as the Hollywood-stylie vacuous repeat-offender of a wife. George Roy Hill. The last five minutes are perfect, but then I always did go for sloppy sentimental and grandiose closing speeches.
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