After losing his sight in a car accident that killed his wife, a novelist begins an affair with a married woman.
In theory, a romantic drama featuring Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin should be a grown-up love story that viewers cheers for. But “Blind” stumbles with unlikable characters and a lack of depth, leaving audiences simply wishing for its ending, happy or not.
High-powered businessman Mark Dutchman (Dylan McDermott) isn’ t just ruthless when it comes to deals; he’s also emotionally abusive to his wife, Suzanne (Moore) , and cruel to everyone else. After he’s convicted of a white-collar crime, she is sentenced to community service for her unwitting involvement in his shady behavior. Her punishment involves reading to blind writer, professor and enormous jerk Bill Oakland (Baldwin) , but their initial dislike quickly turns to attraction.
Though “Blind” centers on a celebrated author, its own script from John Buffalo Mailer is full of bad writing. The dialogue leans on eye-rolling clichés that would make Oakland’s red pen bleed if one of his students submitted them. The film lacks texture and detail, whether it’s glossing over the experience of a newly blind man, the life of a rich New York wife or the corruption in the financial industry.
“Blind” veers between tones and genres like a drunken socialite. Five minutes of free-spirited romantic comedy feel like they belong in another movie, and director Michael Mailer (brother of the screenwriter; their father was Norman Mailer) can’ t bridge these moments. Everyone involved deserves better than what we get here, especially the audience.
————
Rating: R, for language including some sexual references, and brief drug use
Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Playing: AMC Dine-In Sunset 5, West Hollywood
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »
calendar@latimes.com
