Love Field (1992)

I had a bad day at work today. I ran a few errands after work and when I got home, walked Maude, took out the trash, and did dinner... I was tired. So I crashed for a few hours, then I woke up, bored and with no plans.

I flipped channels and came across a movie called "Love Field," starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Dennis Haysbert. Maybe because I had no expectations, I actually ended up really enjoying the movie. Pfeiffer plays Lurene Hallett, a woman in 1963 Dallas who idolizes Jackie Kennedy. When the Kennedys come to Dallas for their ill-fated trip, she goes to Love Field to try and meet them. She ends up getting close, but not quite meeting Jackie. Later that day, when she finds out that President Kennedy has been shot, she decides to go to Washington for the funeral, against the wishes of her husband.

As she takes the bus to DC, she encounters a black man, Paul, and his daughter Jonell. She befriends them, much to the chagrin of both the white and black people on the bus. When there is a bus accident and they are stuck at the bus terminal waiting for a replacement bus, Lurene notices marks on the child and calls the FBI to report her kidnapped.

The rest of the movie is Lurene on the run with Paul and Jonell. Jonell's mother has died, and she was placed in a children's home where she was abused. Paul just wants to bring his daughter home. As they travel toward DC, the backdrop are the days leading up to President Kennedy's funeral. Once in DC, something happens that changes all of their lives.

Michelle Pfeiffer received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for this film. She was really good. Denzel Washington was originally slated to play Paul, but pulled out at the last minute. Haysbert was good, but all I could think about were the Allstate commercials that he does. An interesting fact, the movie, while taking place in Dallas for the first 20 minutes or so, was never shot in Dallas.

Mo's Review:
Love Field (1992): 3 out of 5 stars