James Garner was very proud of his work in Promise and deservedly so. He was quoted as praising to the skies the work of James Woods in this film, but Garner himself should have gotten more kudos for not playing his usual kind of laid back character.
Promise is both the title of this film and the obligation Garner feels toward his late mother. Woods is his much younger brother and since his teen years has been in a mental institution for schizophrenia. Now mom has passed on and Garner inherits the responsibility for her heavily mortgaged house and his institutionalized brother.
In this film and in life the options for the mentally ill just aren't good ones. Garner can't cope living with him and the places to put him are either horribly run or too expensive. Think of having Woods coping with some Ms. Ratched in some institution.
Garner and Woods play beautifully off each other. Garner extends his range in this, he's not Bret Maverick or Jim Rockford here. Woods is really outstanding here playing in his life an astonishing range of quirky characters, but he really outdoes himself in this part. There's also a nice performance from Piper Laurie as a sympathetic neighbor.
There are some similarities here to Rainman in the reverse relationship between the brothers. In Rainman it's the younger brother caring for an older brother. I'd be hard pressed to split the difference between them. It's only Rainman had a big screen release and Promises is a made for TV film.
It's one of the best of its kind though and should not be missed.
Promise is both the title of this film and the obligation Garner feels toward his late mother. Woods is his much younger brother and since his teen years has been in a mental institution for schizophrenia. Now mom has passed on and Garner inherits the responsibility for her heavily mortgaged house and his institutionalized brother.
In this film and in life the options for the mentally ill just aren't good ones. Garner can't cope living with him and the places to put him are either horribly run or too expensive. Think of having Woods coping with some Ms. Ratched in some institution.
Garner and Woods play beautifully off each other. Garner extends his range in this, he's not Bret Maverick or Jim Rockford here. Woods is really outstanding here playing in his life an astonishing range of quirky characters, but he really outdoes himself in this part. There's also a nice performance from Piper Laurie as a sympathetic neighbor.
There are some similarities here to Rainman in the reverse relationship between the brothers. In Rainman it's the younger brother caring for an older brother. I'd be hard pressed to split the difference between them. It's only Rainman had a big screen release and Promises is a made for TV film.
It's one of the best of its kind though and should not be missed.