Breezy Reviews

Divorced businessman Holden, frustrated with women and unwilling to associate with anyone, stays hidden away in his luxurious California home. When he discovers the pretty, outgoing free spirit Lenz sleeping on his doorstep one morning, he doesn't report her to the police; he simply chases her off his property. When the girl returns the next day to pick up her forgotten guitar, she convinces Holden to let her take a bath and spend the night in a comfortable bed. Lenz returns a third time, this time accompanied by the police, and Holden goes along with her story that he is her uncle and takes custody of her. The two begin to talk openly with one another, and a true friendship develops, then an affair. Although he is certainly happy with the lively, spontaneous girl, Holden succumbs to pressure from his social peers and abandons his relationship with the much younger woman. When a friend loses her husband in an auto accident, Holden realizes that life should be cherished and so searches for Lenz. Finding her in a park, Holden apologizes and asks her to come back to him. She accepts, and the unusual couple settles down to an unpredictable life. Although the flawed script with its predictable situations and often cute dialog is a drawback, the direction by Eastwood and the performances he gets from Holden and newcomer Lenz are outstanding. His third film as director after PLAY MISTY FOR ME and HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, BREEZY is a distinct change of pace for the action-oriented Eastwood. Concerning himself with compassion and understanding, Eastwood easily conveys the complexities of his actors. His best films as director (THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, HONKYTONK MAN) deal with American values and the star's already established image. BREEZY is a small, personal film that allowed Eastwood to work with talented actors and experiment with directorial style. If he had chosen a more intelligent script, he could have produced a minor classic.