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Al Pacino took home the Best Actor Oscar playing a blind, cantankerous veteran who hires a reluctant prep school student, played by Chris O’Donnell (Fried Green Tomatoes), to escort him on a trip to New York City. O’Donnell is confounded by Pacino’s bad attitude and risky behaviors until Pacino shares that he plans to kill himself at the end of their excursion. It then becomes O’Donnell’s aim to squelch Pacino’s death wish as the two become unlikely friends.
Scent of a Woman is like a darker, male version of Driving Miss Daisy. Pacino and O’Donnell create a compelling relationship that holds the film together. This is quintessential Pacino. He’s volatile and darkly comic in a role that allows him to show considerable range. O’Donnell takes a while to find his character’s groove, but he’s low-key enough to hold sentimentality at bay — at least until the third act, when the story can’t help but fall into a few maudlin pitfalls. A more realistic film would end more subtly, but a lot of viewers will probably enjoy screenwriter Bo Goldman and director Martin Brest’s more crowd-pleasing climax.
There’s an enjoyable ‘hang out’ quality to the film, as the lead characters eat fine food, drive fast cars, and court beautiful women on a trip that may end up being the last for one of them. The script contains some worthwhile subtext about male camaraderie and integrity, and it also gives Pacino a chance to deliver some memorable, passionate descriptions of the fairer sex. At over two hours and thirty minutes, it’s a bit of a long film, but if you enjoy the characters, you won’t feel the runtime.
With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bradley Whitford, Gabrielle Anwar, and James Rebhorn.
Academy Award: Best Actor (Al Pacino)
Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay (Bo Goldman)