shelley duvall readies herself in bernice bobs her hair.
it's a story about the disappointments and triumphs of young adulthood, as honest in sentiment as anything i've ever seen. it's a low-budget, flawed little picture, but it is almost entirely redeemed by the presence of shelley duvall and bud cort, who each possess a quiet charisma i would pay good money to acquire. you work yourself up to something, you mean to prove it, and the response is so underwhelming it could break your heart--a lukewarm smattering of applause. you have to learn to be charming because it doesn't come naturally, but the social world is difficult, unforgiving, and its moods change too fast. you eventually learn to be yourself, if you're lucky. ultimately, bernice is lucky. a story of ordinary melancholy. time to read the original.
IT MAKES A TERRIFIC LINE
