If you think that all good movies have Super Bowl excitement, don’t bother watching Scent of a Woman (1992, rated R, 157 minutes).
This obviously many-splendored film has grit, gusto, a pretty good tango, a red jaguar with pedal to the metal, a man confronting the downside of his life, a young man struggling with right and wrong, and the magical mix of truth, justice, and passion.
Army lieutenant colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino, he won his only Oscar for Best Actor) rides the tiger of his past. He and Baird School student Charlie Simms (Chris O’Donnell) work through the highs and the lows of Slade’s blindness and Charlie’s rush to maturity as they learn about themselves and learn to trust each other.
Pacino won the Oscar for his sensitive portrayal of Slade, who rediscovers reasons for living, his own humanity, his devotion to integrity, and his grandchildren. If you’re a grandparent, you’ll probably agree that the last 90 seconds of the film may not be the best moments, but they are the endearing gift of Scent of a Woman.
Request the DVD through the Minuteman Library Network
Watch Discovering Al Pacino now through Kanopy
Request the book Al Pacino in Conversation with Lawrence Grobel through Minuteman
