A Walk In The Clouds - 1995

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Zucker Brothers Productions

Directed by Alfonso Arau

Cast:

• Paul Sutton – Keanu Reeves
• Victoria Aragon – Aitana Sanchez-Gijon
• Don Pedro Aragon – Anthony Quinn
• Alberto Aragon – Giancarlo Giannini
• Marie Jose Aragon – Angelica Aragon
• Guadelupe Aragon – Evangelina Elizondo
• Pedro Aragon, Jr. - Freddy Rodriguez
• Betty Sutton – Debra Messing

Story: World War II is over, and men are returning to their wives and lovers from overseas. Paul Sutton returns to find his bride less than enthusiastic about his return, or even about him. She has not read the letters he has sent, and barely ever wrote to him. Disenchanted, he takes his old job as a door-to-door chocolates salesman back and heads out by train to Sacramento to take up his new district. On the way, he meets a young lady who is heading to her home. She is obviously distraught and through a series of events he discovers she is a soon to be a mother, but she is a catholic returning to her home without a husband. Her family has a vineyard in the Napa valley, and her father is a very traditional man who has said many times he would disown anyone who dishonored his family, including her. Paul proposes a solution, that he pose as her husband for a day, then leave a note abandoning her to protect her honor for her family. But one day turns into several, and Paul finds himself falling in love with Victoria. Paul must choose a new life for himself, and must fight for the woman he loves.

Review: Romance without the comedy....well, almost. There are a few scenes in this love story which will bring out a few chuckles, but all in all this is a film about family, love, and joy. Keanu Reeves portrays the orphan Paul Sutton, a man who has fought to be acknowledged all his life and has returned a decorated war hero and a young man in search of himself. He has had a lot of time to think about who he is and what he wants to be. He and Debra Messing portray an often ignored segment of the American post war population, the ones who got married on the spur of the moment and were separated for four years during the war. They grew apart, and hardly know one another. So when Paul meets Victoria, he is pursuing a path unknown, a path beyond the dreams he made in his mind while separated from Betty. Aitana Sanchez-Gijon portrays the woman “in trouble”, which at that time being pregnant out of wedlock was nearly cause for public stoning, and especially in a strict Roman Catholic family. Her performance, along with the stellar performances of Anthony Quinn as Victoria's grandfather and Giancarlo Giannini as Victoria's father, make this romance a stunning piece of true romance. Every scene, every nuance of the film presses you deeper and deeper into the feelings of the characters, and the scenery and photography are incredibly breathtaking. Rated PG-13 for sexual themes and war scenes, this is a film for Date Night with your significant other. Collectible, absolutely, if for no other reason than to have evidence of Keanu's occasional good sense in accepting a role.