Table for Five Reviews

Shot mostly on the SS Vistafjord, which was actually making a cruise, TABLE FOR FIVE is the story of a family enduring the conflicts of divorce and adoption. J.P. Tannen (Jon Voight) is divorced from Kathleen (Millie Perkins). She is remarried to attorney Mitchell (Richard Crenna), a thoughtful man who takes his stepfather role seriously. After ignoring his three children for years, Tannen brings them on a luxury cruise through the Mediterranean. Kathleen is killed in an automobile accident, and Mitchell says he is coming to Europe to get the children. Tannen decides that the children are worth fighting for. The question of natural versus adoptive parents' rights is raised, but no real solution is offered. Overall, the film is a sentimental soaper with good performances. Roxana Zal, as the daughter, and Perkins (who had been off the screen for some years) turn in particularly strong performances. TABLE FOR FIVE is a nice attempt at a family film that failed at the box office because there wasn't enough of an edge to it. As a bonus, however, the ship stops at Rome, Athens, and Cairo, permitting many scenes to be set amid the wonders of those locations.