It's hard to resist a movie with great actors like Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon and James Garner. But "Twilight" almost makes you want to.
For one thing, co-writer/director Robert Benton can't decide whether he wants the movie to be parodic or serious, and there are some jarring, uneasy transitions between both themes — particularly the humorous bits, which are cheaply vulgar.
And its plotline is alternatingly confusing and heavy-handed, with a frustrating ending that's more obvious than an episode of a TV mystery program.
But hey, it could have been much worse. Newman and Garner could have been paired for "Grumpy Old Gumshoes" instead.
There are times when things verge on that, especially in the beginning, when P.I. Harry Ross (Newman) accidentally gets shot in the groin by a wayward teenager (Reese Witherspoon) he's trying to return to her parents.
Two years later, Ross ends up living with the girl and the aforementioned parents, former big-screen star Jack Ames (Hackman) and his actress wife Catherine (Sarandon).
He also winds up working for them again when Catherine is blackmailed for something in her past. Jack arranges for Harry to make a blackmail payment — but instead of making the delivery, he finds a body and a whole lot of unanswered questions.
As he gets more and more involved in the mystery, Harry becomes a wanted man, running from police officers, which include his former flame Verna (Stockard Channing). In desperation, he turns to another old friend, Raymond Hope (Garner), for help.
Benton, who directed Newman in "Nobody's Fool," has simply crammed in too much story. He and cohort Richard Russo bog things down with a lot of extraneous storylines and characters who simply don't matter and detract from the main story.
And as mentioned, there's a lot of crass material, which is really a shame, when you think of the target audience.
Still, it's a joy to see the stars onscreen together, especially Newman, who's terrific when he shares time with Sarandon.
Hackman and Garner also shine in smaller roles, but co-stars Giancarlo Esposito, Channing and Witherspoon are pretty much wasted.
"Twilight" is rated R for violence, gunplay, profanity, quite a few vulgar gags and references, female nudity, gore and sex.