I am glad I don't live in Frostbite Falls because I might shiver at the thought of such a complex and clever film as PENNIES FROM HEAVEN. Made with a massive 1980 budget of $22 million and all of it up there on the screen, this genuine masterwork is one of the great unappreciated and misunderstood films of its day. The biggest hurdle the film could not overcome (then) was the casting of comedy stars in Art Deco darkness. Steve Martin had just scored a bullseye in the wild comedy THE JERK. For mainstream audiences to even then turn around and slightly embrace the sad loneliness of PENNIES' aching melancholy is impossible. PENNIES' failed and was consigned to misfire history. Today in 2005 this film deserves to stand with CHICAGO or even MOULIN ROUGE in its sly dark new century crowd pleaser theatrics. It is a film for this century and if audiences today have the chance to appreciate and applaud it's brilliant creative slant and dramatic spectacle, it will be a success. Possibly in the same ironic fantasy manner of THE PIRATE or YOLANDA AND THE THIEF, or LADY IN THE DARK of the 40s, ITS ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER from 1955, maybe THE BOYFRIEND of the 70s and even the original 1988 HAIRSPRAY by John Waters, PENNIES' belongs to that rare style of musical spectacle: the emotional fantasy with a dark satire core. Truly great.

No, there's nothing jolly about the plot line of this version of the classic British TV series where the characters suddenly break into the original recordings of the 1930's, lip-syncing to the original performers. While there's a lot of the music missing from the T.V. series (particularly memorable to me was a scene where the women tap-dance on the hero's coffin in a fantasy sequence to "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You!"),what remains is pure musical joy even though the plot is no laughing matter. Sheet music salesman Steve Martin is depressed over the state of affairs in his marriage (to the dour Jessica Harper) so he begins an affair with sweet school teacher Bernadette Peters. But evidence points to Martin being a murdering rapist while Peters faces disgrace as a result of the affair.

Yes, the depression was depressing, and in addition to Bonnie and Clyde, bread lines and chants of "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", there was all that wonderful music, through the movies, Broadway and radio. After being turned down for a loan, Martin and the banker suddenly kiss (in Martin's fantasy) and break into "Yes, Yes, My Baby Said Yes Yes" (a song first performed in the Eddie Cantor musical "Palmy Days") while Bernadette quiets her kiddies down with "Love is Good For Anything That Ails You", also sung in "Hit Parade of 1937". Christopher Walken is a pimp who strips to "Let's Misbehave" and Vernal Bagneris shows humanity as the tramp who sings the title song. Broadway veteran John McMartin appears briefly as Peters' boss.

Another amazing highlight is the fantasy sequence where Steve and Bernadette turn into Fred and Ginger while watching "Follow the Fleet" and take over "Let's Face the Music and Dance", filmed in black and white with the two wearing the exact same outfits that Fred and Ginger were wearing. It's a magical moment in post-classic era cinema that is rare to be sure. The songs don't really move the plot along (as they aren't meant to) but represent the element of hope Martin keeps hidden away as his life falls apart. The ending is a bit jarring and unbelievable, but was probably necessary to prevent a bad word of mouth from spreading. This would certainly be a project worth considering for Broadway, but then again, with all the other movies having been musicalized, you have to say, why bother?

Steve Martin plays a disaffected traveling sheet music salesman. His wife is frigid and he wants more out of life. Soon he sees a pretty lady (Bernadette Peters),he is instantly smitten...though he has no idea who she even is. Can he win her or can his wife manage to be the woman he wants?

I love old 1930s musicals, so you'd think I'd be the perfect person to watch "Pennies From Heaven". However, there were three major things that prevented me from falling in love with the film. First, when they weren't singing, the plot was so incredibly depressing and awful. Second, seeing modern actors dancing and lip syncing to old 1930s tunes is interesting...but soon loses its novelty and becomes a bit tiresome. Third, although the film is set in the mid-1930s, the cursing and crude language took me out of the experience. As a result, I had a hard time even finishing this film and I guess I am just the oddball who didn't appreciate the picture.