There is something intoxicating about being young and in love. Most of us never got to experience that. The couple in this film had it once, and got a brief chance to relive it once. That makes twice. Unfortunately the second one was at the expense of others.

I thoroughly believed the plot. Some people stay in a small town and some go. Some of those who stay, wonder what would have happened if they left, and some of those who left, wonder the opposite. Ocean City is a real place, not a fictional one. That added to the "real" feel of the movie.

Another reviewer mentioned that Kevin Kline mainly had to look at people with a thoughtful expression. But I say he did that exceptionally well. I'm not sure I buy the character's lack of emotion, in terms of guilt. I would think that a real person would break down at some point. He was so caught up in the euphoria of renewed youth.

You don't see Sissy Spacek's character show any signs of guilt. That was disturbing and made me feel less sympathy for her. Maybe she was just a bit self-centered. I think the picture was trying to make the point that she had based her whole life on trying to get what she wanted. In this case, she was not going to let anyone get in her way, or make her feel guilty.

Bonnie Bedelia was the quiet quarterback of this one. Her small time on screen was sublime. I did believe her character. She wasn't the temper tantrum type, and she absolutely adored her husband. Yet the pain her facial expressions and tone of voice conveyed was heart-wrenching.

The man who plays Spacek's father was simply great. He delivers a great line about how we choose our fate by letting things happen, but it was the way he said it, that I loved.

The boy character was quite good too. I think he had a bit of a crush on Spacek's character. Like father, like son. I believed the boy. A nice, semi-nerdy kid, at an awkward age. He played it perfectly.

So, some really solid acting, a pleasant setting, a good closing tune sung by a star of the period, who has since passed away, and only a little obligatory Hollywood liberalism thrown in. (Evil developers, earnest conservationists.)

In a picturesque coastal town in Maryland, a married family man is reunited with an old sweetheart, a pretty photographer who's been traveling the world for the last fifteen years. Putting freshly-scrubbed Sissy Spacek in the role as 'the other woman' doesn't really sit right with us because, basically, it's tough to swallow Spacek as the proverbial homewrecker. Sissy's real-life husband Jack Fisk directed the film, and although he sets up some good-looking shots, he doesn't feel the need to involve us in this character's thoughts: does she have a selfish agenda or is she removed from all the confusion and heartache she causes? The screenplay is a limp, squashy mess--a compendium of Woman's Picture clichés--and Kevin Kline doesn't have much to do but stare at others thoughtfully or look conflicted. *1/2 from ****

You might have missed this romantic drama when it was released in the 1980s, but try to find it if you can. It's surprisingly good, and Sissy Spacek gives a great against-type performance.

Violets are Blue has a simple story: high school sweethearts are parted as their lives take separate paths. Once reunited, fifteen years later, they still feel the spark. The beauty is in the details, which makes this movie stand out among the genre of "second-chance romances". In a great exchange, Sissy Spacek talks to her father, John Kellogg, about her feelings for her ex-boyfriend, Kevin Kline. He tries to talk her out of rekindling the relationship, and she insists that Kevin's life has been a series of mistakes. He didn't choose the end result; things just happened to him. "That's how we choose: we let it happen," John says. It's a profound statement, and it not only makes sense in the film but also in real life.

The sweethearts, Sissy Spacek and Kevin Kline, have similar interests but different priorities. While he has a passion for writing and she has a passion for photography, he's content to stay in their small coastal town and take over the local newspaper. She itches to explore, and she travels around the world making a name for herself and her photos. When she returns to town, she's the local celebrity. Sissy doesn't usually get to play glamorous career women, and she gives a great performance as she feels out of place in Kevin's world, envious of the chances that passed her by, frustrated by the choices he made, and still glad of the path her own life took.

This might not be the best movie to watch with your spouse, as it might spark an unpleasant conversation about ex-sweethearts, but watching it by yourself or with a good friend will give you a great evening. I highly recommend this one. The leads are young and beautiful, they have great chemistry, and the script gives everyone an interesting point of view.