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After his career began to wane in the late ’70s, director Robert Altman (M*A*S*H, Nashville) directed a handful of stage play adaptations throughout the ’80s before having a successful ‘comeback’ with 1992’s The Player. Ed Graczyk’s Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was the first of those adaptations, and features the same cast as Altman’s Broadway production of the play. Sandy Dennis (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Cher (Moonstruck), and Karen Black (Five Easy Pieces) star three members of an intimate James Dean fan club that reunites on the twentieth anniversary of his death. The entire film (and play) takes place at a run-down five-and-dime store near Marfa, Texas, where the characters worked and frequented when they were in high school — and a few of them still work there. The reunion stirs old memories and holds a few showdowns and revelations in store for the characters.
The acting here is strong from most of the cast. Cher is a natural in her first dramatic film role and Karen Black has fun with a mysterious character who carries a sensational secret. Both of them are award-worthy here. Kathy Bates (Misery) makes a great supporting turn as one of the returning club members, and Sudie Bond brings some local color as the store’s owner — a pious woman who gets after the ‘girls’ whenever they cuss or push the boundaries of good taste. Sandy Dennis has the perhaps the most difficult role, a woman who perpetuates a couple of delusions about her son and the identity of his father. Her acting style is odd and somewhat annoying — she stares blankly for long periods of time and her voice trembles and trails off a lot. Marta Heflin and Mark Patton (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2) make the most of smaller but still interesting roles.
Altman makes clever use of a single split-set divided by a see-through mirror. The 1955 store room is one side of the mirror; the 1975 version on the other. The script jumps back and forth constantly, giving Altman the opportunity for myriad different transition shots. For longer dialogue-driven scenes, Altman does what he usually does and stands back, strangely fearful of emotional close-ups and coverage. (I personally can’t stand Altman’s ugly, theatrical directorial style — at least not until he adopted a more classical approach with The Player.) The film was shot on grainy 16 millimeter film and blown up to 35 millimeter for exhibition which gives it a certain aesthetic some people (like myself) love, but others may find distracting.
Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean feels like what it is — a stage play caught on film, rarely taking advantage of the strengths film can offer. But if you’re a fan of these actors or a good, one-setting play with richly written characters and some provocative, progressive themes, you might find it worth your time.