In a role that she was born to play, Jessica Lange stars as a woman who has to head her family after her husband dies. Further complications arise when the family moves to Baltimore. The cast of "Men Don't Leave" puts their heart and soul into the performances, and Jessica Lange gets to co-star with Kathy Bates over two decades before they became co-stars on "American Horror Story" (I wonder if AHS creator Ryan Murphy took inspiration from their performances over the years).

Basically, it's a look at life in general, and the challenges that people can face. There's a reason why I adore Jessica Lange. The rest of the cast includes Joan Cusack, Arliss Howard, Charlie Korsmo (of "Dick Tracy" and "Hook", although he later left acting and became a lawyer) and Chris O'Donnell (whose career would've proliferated more significantly had he not ruined his reputation with "Batman and Robin").

This is probably the only movie wherein we have a Disney song immediately followed by the song associated with the Looney Tunes.

Widower Jessica Lange must move from the suburbs to the city (with her two sons) and learn how to make it on her own. Familiar story is very well-done. The acting is very good--Jessica Lange gives another great performance; Arliss Howard does a nice turn as a man who's attracted to her; Joan Cusack is uproarious as a very strange neighbor. The biggest surprise is how good Chris O'Donnell is. He's now considered one of the blandest (and lousy) actors out there...back in 1990 though, he was very good. His face actually changes expression and he's excellent in one scene where he tries to apologize to Howard. The film is very well-written--characters talk and act believably. Beautiful direction with an excellent music score too. My only complaint is the film is a little bit too long and there are very obvious cuts in scenes (I'm assuming to keep the running time down). Still, that's a minor complaint. Also, it's very moving and tear-jerking at the end. Well worth catching.

I had originally seen this film at the theater with my 1st wife, and didn't think much of it. Being the only other film directed by the guy who did "Risky Business" - I had higher hopes for the movie than what I came away with. Over the years, however, especially after my 1st wife passed away - I was haunted with memories of this film, as I saw my life mimic many of the actions of the principle characters. For someone who hasn't had to deal directly with grief, this film probably will seem like just an odd little film. But the actions taken by Jessica Lange, Chris O'Donnell and Charlie Korsmo are all perfect prototypes of how people deal with grief and denial. Director Paul Brickman does so in an understated way, so that the film seems more light-hearted than the message it conveys.