User reviews

After seeing a movie with Marg Helgenberger made in the 90's "Death Dreams" with Christopher Reeve, I felt the need to look for other Marg Helgenberger performances besides her famous turn in CSI - To my surprise, not many, except "Death Dreams" where she gives a performance that goes straight to something truly personal. She is amazing, amazing! That's how I got to Always. The only Spielberg film I hadn't seen. The film is a sort of remake of "A Guy Named Joe" charming with a lovely central performance by Holly Hunter but where is Marg? She's way back in the background. Beautiful and real but way too far away in the background. The most memorable memorable moment, at least for a film buff - is the last film appearance by Audrey Hepburn, as an angel.

Spielberg deserves a fresh look. I open with that because as I read the decidedly mixed thoughts on this and other films of his, I notice the same thought over and over again. People who review Spielberg usually want to pigeonhole him into a type: the ET-warm-and-fuzzy-alien children's storyteller versus the special-effects-heavy-but-rather-empty-plot dreamer. All the while there is the generic whine of 'why doesn't he ever try to do something else (SCHINDLER'S LIST notwithstanding)?' Then when he does, as evidenced here, there are wails of dissatisfaction that he tried to do something over his head. Oy.

It's so silly to label and categorize a filmmaker so much. ALWAYS is, first and foremost, a love story. A remake of an earlier film to be sure, but even this 1989 treatment looks and feels nostalgic with its amber-tinted cinematography, the sentimental presentation of the devoted fighter pilots, even Holly Hunter's birthday gift of 'girl clothes' tips a hat to 1940's elegance. And you can't get more nostalgic than the appearance of the ageless, magical Audrey Hepburn (sharp as a tack in her last film as a bright-eyed, no-nonsense angel). All of Hepburn's scenes with Richard Dreyfuss are wonderful (especially the first one when she tries- slightly befuddled- to explain his state of existence), as is the leitmotiv of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes-" used in two dance sequences with Dreyfuss and Hunter: one at a charming birthday party (watching all the burly firemen clean up is a riot), the other in a bewitching soliloquy of mourning. And once again, John Goodman rises to the occasion as the best friend anyone could ever have. Just saw it on TCM, rounding out a July 2005 tribute to Ms. Hepburn. You should check it out.

One of his lesser films, Always is a nice, touching story that seems to never have found its proper audience.

Wonderfully shot, well acted, the 1989 film is a departure from Spielberg's usual fantasy and historical pictures but has echoes of both. The firebomber sequences hint at some of the battle scenes from Saving Private Ryan years down the road.

Well worth checking out if you haven't seen it. Hepburn's final screen appearance is gentle and touching. Spielberg is restrained in this film. Perhaps he considers it a small film, but it is a forgotten gem in many ways.

Always is a landmark film in Steven Spielberg's canon for more than one reason. It would be the first time Spielberg would adapt someone else's work, and also it would see Spielberg caught in transition between bidding farewell to childhood memories and a crowd pleasing necessity. In fact it is not too bold to say that without Always, Spielberg could not have progressed into the superlative director he most assuredly is. Often wrongly thought of as a Spielberg flop, it actually grossed $74,134,790 worldwide, that's three times what it cost to make. Always is awash with sentimentality, the kind that Spielberg detractors use to constantly berate the director as being his safe haven calling card, yet it's an oddly tender movie about loss, love and the need to move on from former yearnings. Working from the excellent original source by Dalton Trumbo called A Guy Named Joe, Spielberg crafts his tale with deftly visual flourishes aiding the sweet nature of the piece, none more so than when Audrey Hepburn arrives {in her last film appearance} as Pete's angel guide, Hap.

Richard Dreyfuss takes the lead role of Pete Sandwich, with both he and Spielberg sharing a passion for A Guy Named Joe. So much so that Spielberg honoured a promise to Dreyfuss back in the Jaws days that he would cast him should he ever remake the film. Holly Hunter takes on the pivotal female lead of Dorinda and does brilliant work, all doe eyed beauty fusing with tight emotion that has the discerning viewer eating out of her hands. John Goodman is suitably ebullient as Al Yackey, with Spielberg framing him rather well in certain scenic sequences, while the only weak link in the film is probably Brad Johnson as Ted Baker, but time has been kind to his performance and it doesn't quite jar as much as it used too. The critics hated it on release and the watching public were most indifferent to it as well. Yet it's definitely one to revisit as we all get older, be it with a loved one or during times of reflection. You obviously can't get away from the sentimental aspects of it, but sometimes sentiment is a necessity to smooth out those rough edges. Charming, delightful and a real important film in Steven Spielberg's career. 7/10

Steven Spielberg took a break from his usual sci-fi/action fare with this story of firefighter Pete Sandich (Richard Dreyfuss) who sticks with his friends...even after dying. Maybe "Always" is a little hokey, but it's an interesting look at the possibilities not only of the afterlife, but of personal guilt: not only does Pete feel that he has to right some wrongs, but his friends Dorinda Durston (Holly Hunter) and Al Yackey (John Goodman) also are dealing with the guilt of seeing their friend gone, and the role that they may have played in his death.

On another note, this was of course Audrey Hepburn's final film. She plays angel Hap, who helps Pete through the afterlife. In my opinion, it makes sense for a woman as beautiful as she to play an angel in her final role.

It has been a while since I have seen this 'Always.' The years, I should say, have done this film justice.

A noted cinephile, I know when to eat my words, and this is one is for the books. Sincere. Honest. Touching. Obviously sparked with a late-eighties, Spielbergian hyper-real, cinematic extensions and flair, these elements do not bog the film downs as, say, with '1941' or 'The Color Purple.' And why should we expect modern filmmakers to be like those of the forties or fifties? Modern filmmakers are just that -- modern.

Holly Hunter is a walking dream and she has talent in droves. I have long had a crush on her and her funny mouth. She is simply enchanting and steals the show. Goodman, for once, is kept under control. Dreyfuss, with the thankless role of revisiting his past and commenting on the future, is the weakest link but only just. Sumptuously photographed by deftly edited, this story of unrequited love is as universal as mothers and babies. If it doesn't bring tears to your eyes, shame on you. The best advice to view this film is to forget it is a Spielberg film. Enjoy it for the love story that it is and sink into its voluptuous and charged charm.

We should all hope we become angels in the mist, able to return to Earth to right all the wrongs of the world.

This may be one Spielberg's most romantic films, next to A.I., which is a supremely magnificent film and, also, equally dismissed when it first arrived on the scene.

I urge all to give this film a second chance.

The MGM classic A Guy Named Joe gets a first class remake as Always in this film from Stephen Spielberg. The setting may have changed from World War II to fighting forest fires in Montana, but the love story has changed the same. Film buffs will recognize whole passages of Dalton Trumbo's dialog from the original film.

Daredevil pilot Richard Dreyfuss falls for novice pilot Holly Hunter as both work for John Goodman fighting forest fires during those World War II years before the American entry. She loves him dearly, but hates his recklessness when doing his job. Apparently Dreyfuss never learned the difference between being courageous and being foolhardy. Dreyfuss drives Goodman crazy as well. Right up to the point when his ship exploded fighting a nasty fire.

As a ghost Dreyfuss still has some human emotions left especially after another pilot played by Brad Johnson shows some interest in Hunter.

When you're Stephen Spielberg you command a budget the 1989 equivalent of the best that that Tiffany of studios MGM had in 1943. The results definitely show in both the romance and the special effects.

No one can equal Spencer Tracy, but Richard Dreyfuss manages his own interpretation of the lead quite well. Brad Johnson stands in for another Johnson named Van. John Goodman's part was played by Ward Bond in the original, Goodman infuses his role with a lot more humor.

I'm still scratching my head over the fact that Irving Berlin would not give Spielberg permission to use his song Always for a film entitled Always. In the original Irene Dunne sang Always so using Always as a title doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Berlin up to the day he died counted every penny and made sure he was paid what he considered his due. As he lived to 101 he left as substantial an estate as he could amass. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes from Jerome Kern serves the same function in this film, appropriate for a film about fighting forest fires.

Playing the role of Dreyfuss's heavenly mentor played in the original by Barry Nelson is Audrey Hepburn in her farewell performance. She was only doing occasional film roles at that point, her time taken up mostly with taking over for Danny Kaye at UNICEF.

That final scene with Hunter and Dreyfuss in that forest fire is exciting and poignant. Won't leave a dry eye in the house.

Spielberg did a wonderful job updating and recreating a Hollywood classic. Wonder what Irene Dunne, Van Johnson, and Barry Nelson thought of it?

My husband asked me to marry him after we saw this movie. He was a helicopter pilot and we had met at an air show. We both loved vintage aircraft so this seemed to be just the movie to see. We both laughed and cried so hard during the movie. Little was I to know that 13 years later I would lose my husband while he was flying. It took me some years to watch this movie again and I too cried through the whole thing. It is so personal to me. There are times when I feel, like Holly did, that I can hear my husband talking to me and guiding me. There is a lot to be learned from this picture about life and love. I highly recommend this picture.

A terribly cute and likeable film filled with sweet tooth characters who will make you either laugh or cry thanks to the performances of a top line cast and the direction of master story teller, Mr. Spielberg. Apart from all that goodness the script is a complete heart string puller that wears you down by its end.

Having just seen a re-cap of AFI's 100 most romantic films, I decided to go through my own video library to see how many I owned. Of course, starting alphabetically, I pulled out "Always". It wasn't on AFI's list. But it is on mine. I threw it in the VCR, having seen it at least 3-4 times before, and it was like watching it for the first time again.

To sum it up, I wept, from the opening to the closing scene. Rarely am I so touched by a film that it affects me so strongly as to push aside all rational thought and open up the flood gates. But I should expect no less from the man (Spielberg) who single-handedly keeps the tissue industry in the black. He knows how to tug those heart-strings. He's doesn't just play off one emotion; he goes for them all! Drama, action, humor, loss and love. And what he does in "Always", just like "Empire of the Sun", "The Color Purple", "E.T.", "Schindler's List", and "Saving Private Ryan"; is never let the rider off the coaster.

Unfortunately, at the release of "Always", he had not fully gained the respect of the industry enough to prevent this film from being pushed aside. For me, however, it's still right there up on top!

Kudos Spielberg , for reminding us that even your less-seen films were done w/ brilliance, integrity, humor and a more than just a few tears.

This film starts off as a wisecracking rom-com and evolves into a spiritual journey. It is part fantasy and part romance. Its story reminds me of "Heaven Can Wait" and "Ghost".

Its genesis goes back to "A Guy Named Joe" (1943), directed by Victor Fleming. Based on a story with that same title, its screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo. Those are very strong credentials. While making "Jaws", Steven Speilberg and Richard Dreyfuss traded quotes from the film. Both had seen it numerous times, and Spielberg said it was one of the films that inspired him to become a director.

In "Always", Richard Dreyfuss is Pete---a firefighting pilot who loves flying and taking risks. He works for Al (John Goodman), a lovable schlub who also fights fires from the sky. Holly Hunter is Dorinda, Pete's girlfriend. She can barely tolerate the dangers that come with Pete's job, but she knows how much he loves it.

Director Steven Spielberg hits all the right notes in this film, but its story might not appeal to everyone. The final film appearance by Audrey Hepburn is a special attraction and it elevates the second half, which becomes a contemplation on the nature of love, the concept of eternity, and the overcoming of emotional losses. Those more serious themes are tempered by the film's lighthearted, comedic tone, which continues throughout.

Though it may not be Spielberg's best work, this is a charming film that manages to be both funny and meaningful.

Oh dear. I'd never seen this so when it popped up on TV I thought I must finally watch it. Wish I hadn't bothered to be honest. Dreyfus and Hunter are both really annoying in the lead roles and the script is so cheesy. Hepburn is luminous of course, but only in it briefly. It's a rare miss from Spielberg

I'll just be honest here --- when I originally saw Always at the cinema in 1989, it was just a few months after my big brother passed away prematurely at the age of forty, and I'm not at all afraid to say that I cried like a baby. Like so many Americans, I have watched far too many films that i have taken to heart, but you know, Always is probably one of the final American films to ever really explore and display such deep human issues as unconditional love, mortality, and what a hero really is -- and isn't. It may be mushy, romantic, and a bit flawed, but I am proud that Spielberg made this bitter-sweet film -- I just saw it again and, if anything, it comes across as even more humane and honest in today's America of aggression, greed, and "relative" truth. If you've ever really, honestly, been so in love and committed to someone that you were willing to unconditionally put their needs before you own, or if you've ever lost anyone who meant the world to you, check it out. It changed my life when I first saw it because it made consider death in a new light... and it is about to totally change my life again as I have decided to live every moment for the rest of it as honest and decent and true to myself as possible --something that few of us today are willing to admit is lacking in our lives.

Considered to be one of Steven Spielberg's worst movies a massive flop at the time of release in 1989. I never got round to watching it until today when it was on TV, and in the absence of anything else on, I decided to give it a go.

The likable cast is headed by Richard Dreyfuss as the spirit of a recently deceased expert pilot who mentors a newer pilot, while watching him fall in love with his surviving girlfriend.

I can't praise the cast enough of this movie enough here. The still gorgeous Katherine Hepburn (in her last role), Holly Hunter and John Goodman offer stellar support to Dreyfuss who is on top form.

A good movie for me is one that does not end with the credits, and this one stayed with me for a while after it's heartwarming conclusion.

All the lead characters seem nice people to hang out with, and I'm not gonna lie, I shed a year at the end too.

Given the talent involved, I'm surprised this failed to find an audience, and I think If it was sold it differently it might have done differently.

Pete Sandich (Richard Dreyfuss), his buddy Al Yackey (John Goodman) and his girl Dorinda Durston (Holly Hunter) are all firefighting pilots. Dorinda has a premonition about impending doom for Pete. She convinces him to take a training job in Colorado but Pete is pressed into service one last time. Al's plane catches on fire and Pete saves him but loses his own life. In the afterlife, Pete meets Hap (Audrey Hepburn) who sends him back to the world to inspire people. Al is now running a school and Ted Baker (Brad Johnson) is the newbie. Dorinda is depressed working as an air traffic controller. Al takes her back with him to Colorado.

Steven Spielberg is not known for romance. The comedy bits from Goodman is alright. I have no doubt that Spielberg wanted to stretch but he struggled to make this compelling. The movie starts well with some chemistry between Dreyfuss and Hunter. They have a good report. The problem is that the chemistry becomes a much more complicated thing. She basically has two loves and Johnson has no charisma at all. It becomes wonky although Dreyfuss keeps it from falling apart.

The last feature film from Spielberg I still had to see, and it wasn't bad. I think you could almost call it underrated. It gets unbearably sappy at times, but then in other moments, the sentimental moments work, and I think some parts are moving. There are effectively emotional moments that then kind of get overdone, which feels like the movie shooting itself in the foot, but Spielberg's not necessarily the kind of filmmaker who's good with restraint. It serves him well, for the most part, but this might be one instance where things were pushed a little too far.

It's very broad, as far as movies about loss and the process of moving on go, but it's definitely serviceable. I liked parts of the final act (though the film acknowledges how obvious the ending's ultimately going to be), and I think the more action-heavy sequences were done well technically speaking. It's far from the worst Spielberg film, too, and fans of his will probably get more than a little out of it, should they be willing to give Always a chance.

I've loved this film for 25 years (it celebrates it's 25th Anniversary) how time flies! (sorry couldn't resist)

This film works or fails on it's 4 main characters...and god are they good!

Richard Dreyfuss is an American Acting Legend who deserves more credit and his paring with Holly Hunter might NOT have been many people's first choice as a romantic pairing but boy does it work, she's a pocket rocket firecracker and he is at his most handsome ever!

Then there's John Goodman as his good friend 'Al' another terrific performance and Brad Johnson as Ted Baker, without these two actors and characters working it might just have fell flat (in fact it soars, sorry I must stop this!)

Audrey Hepburn (Hap) gets a magical, beautiful, final movie cameo (THANKS Steven) and she is PITCH PERFECT.

"YOUR A GOOD MAN PETE...WE DON'T SEND BACK THE OTHER KIND"

The Beginning of the film is TERRIFIC...and sets everything up (he's reckless, she's scared to death, Al is the joker in the middle) it is a film brilliantly directed by Mr Spielberg, beautifully photographed with colours and lighting that will stay with you.

The first time you see Dorinda (Holly Hunter) in THAT dress!!! well if your a guy you'll want that dance too...that is some dress and this is some woman!

Events happen and not soon after Pete is observing, in one scene he sees a guy brushing away the dust and in a light hearted way smiles and says "I think your a funny looking guy", a few seconds pass and this guy is then seen looking into the cars mirror and sadness falls upon his face, yup Pete realises he has the power of suggestion over people (but the power of love? well that's hard to control)

"GIVE HIM A CHANCE AL"

That's a line Pete would regret (at least for a short time)

The old guy (that can hear Pete) you'll know from "HOME ALONE"

When Pete says "GOD I WISH WE'D HAVE MET SOONER" to Dorinda many of you like me will be thinking the very same....I never did meet my Dorinda so if you meet yours 'Hang on Tight'

Now I'm a guy that loves ACTION, SCI-FI, HORROR and ADVENTURE FILMS but if a films a good 'un then it's good one no matter what genre and this is so GOOD. Maybe I'm getting older but there are numerous times throughout this film that get the tears flowing...

THE TALK between Pete and Dorinda at night especially when Pete tells her what's going to happen.

DORINDA WALKING AWAY from the PLANE...not knowing what Pete is saying to her and she kind of knowing what was about to happen...she knows!

AL visiting DORINDA in her apartment on the edge of a runway.

And finally...THE PLANE TALK FINALE (watch Holly's eyes!!! this is some acting! and how she does not tear before is truly incredible!)

If you are not trying to hold it together at these points well I just don't know!

This is an amusing, thrilling, funny, heartbreaking and wonderful feel-good movie with so many good moments, many trash it because of Mr Spielberg's name attached (shame on them)

Having read so many reviews here I was especially taken by two, one whom had lost her pilot husband and another who had lost her brother, my heart goes out to them but it just shows the power of film.

Scores as low as 2 and 3!!! these folks have no idea! Overall rating of 6.4!!! OK I guess the people have spoken and that's the true reflection but I disagree with this strongly.

A STEVEN SPIELBERG Gem that sadly is forgotten but is ready to be re-discovered.

Romantic Love movies don't come much better than this

THIS FILM WILL LIFT THE HEART IF YOU ALLOW IT.

UPDATE: It was a delight to recently see Mr Spielberg (yup someone whose movies I have grown up with and is my favourite director) on Film 2015 and upon being asked which film he thought of his was perhaps underrated he mentioned "ALWAYS" YES!!! my gosh he's NOT WRONG, to my eyes it's a CLASSIC, BEAUTIFUL Movie and i'll thank him for this forever!

Watched "Always" again today. Wiki said it preceded "Ghost" and a host of other 'afterlife' movies. I also loved "Ghost" and from the horror/nightmarish standpoint, I'd also recommend "Jacobs Ladder".

Richard Dreyfuss and Patrick Swayze both intervene with their surviving gIrlfriend. They also play gags on their old buddies (Dreyfus has John Goodman smear his face with airplane grease; Patrick Swayze scares his friend (and murderer) with ghostly rabbit punches and eerie computer warnings.

I like Holly Hunter and Demi Moore in their respective roles...Another coincidence is they both wait indefinitely to hear the words "I love you... " Instead they get "me, too" or "ditto."

The scene where Richard Dreyfuss speaks to a morose Holly Hunter about her hair and that "he can see her" is reminiscent when Patrick Swayze sits alongside Demi Moore with his unheard but tender messages passed by Whoopi Goldberg.

Bruce Joel Rubin wrote both "Ghost" and "Jacobs ladder." The dead Vincent Schevelli on the subway in Ghost was a much scarier and more practical other-worldly guide than Audrey Hepburn is in "Always".

"A Guy named Joe" was the inspiration for "Always." I wonder if "It's a Wonderful Life" was the movie that impacted Bruce Joel Rubin's ghostly flicks? Or maybe the "Ghost and Mrs. Muir" ?

"Ghost" made me cry-several times, thanks to Demi Moore; Holly Hunter inspires with clever banter. Richard Dreyfuss... (one of my all time favorites for light romantic comedy in "The Goodbye Girl", "Stakeout" and evening the under-valued"Let it Ride" which has an amazing reprise of Teri Garr as his wife, did better work in these other films.

Fans of Steven Spielberg will find the watch passable. Fans of "Ghost" should watch it (once at least) to enjoy Holly Hunter and note the script similarities.

This film is replete with sentimentality, unprofessional flying that makes a pilot like me cringe, and irrelevant material. Why introduce Rachel, for instance? She has absolutely nothing to do with the film except to permit her "Follow Me" truck to run wild and crash into Dorinda's fence. That has got to be one of the stupider sequences among many in the film. Another is at the end when the aircraft (was it a B-26 or an A-26? --both designations are used in the film) is left with props whirling and no chocks in place. That serves the plot, of course, but to reveal it would be to commit a dreaded spoiler. As it is, the aircraft would have begun to taxi sans control. The ending (again, avoiding spoilers) involves much too much talk -- as at the beginning of sound films in the 30s with all those final speeches. Here, Dreyfuss just babbles on and on. The ending also incorporates other radical violations of aircraft protocol and a couple of improbabilities/impossibilities that I won't describe. What a dull and disjointed effort!

Richard Dreyfuss plays one of a unit of aerial firefighters, dropping fire retardant to extinguish forest fires. He and Holly Hunter, a dispatcher, are deeply in love. Following another of Dreyfuss's pointlessly dicey flying stunts, the pilots, mechanics and firemen are lounge at the saloon. Dreyfuss catches Hunter unawares with a white dress for her birthday, even if it's not the right day. She puts on the dress anyway and all the guys rush to wash their hands so they get a turn dancing with her to a cover of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes that is no comparison to the old version sung by the wonderful Irene Dunne, the co-star of the original film on which this movie is based.

While on a bombing run, Dreyfuss's engine catches fire and doesn't make it. The next thing he knows, he is in a scenic forest with an angel played by Audrey Hepburn in her final screen role, who explains in her signature gentle manner that he is going to be a muse to others. That, which to a degree seems promising, prepares us for the second half of the movie, in which poor Dreyfuss has to return to earth and be an imperceptible muse for the dull and boring youngster who has taken his place. And he has to watch, powerlessly, as the kid and Hunter fall in love. Dreyfuss is takes this much too lightly for us to feel the true extent of the tragedy that exists in this material.

One of the weaknesses of lesser Spielberg effort is that it is one thing to sacrifice your life for a buddy in combat and quite another to run unnecessary risks while fighting forest fires, which are proved to actually be natural anyway. Another hindrance seems to stem from Spielberg's love of mighty special effects. The airplanes in this film appear to crash and slam their way through acres of scorching woods. Wouldn't a impact with only one of these trees cause a plane to crash? Because the seemingly heroic firefighters cut through the wood like it's nothing. The effects are so stunning that they're implausible.

The single upholding grace of the movie is Holly Hunter, conveying real and gushingly emotional pressure and stubborn impulsiveness. She has a straightforward style that is so much stronger than the cornball audacity and unflustered cool of Dreyfuss and Goodman. The scenes in which Dreyfuss is an angel watching while Hunter and Brad Johnson fall in love are the most out of depth in the film. Dreyfuss throws out jokey lines when perhaps a wounded gaze or a quiet turning of his back would have been more real and affecting, but we see no indignance and that is what is needed.

The film's most peculiar attribute, considering the fact that it was made by the director of The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun in the same decade, is a deficit of stress. Albeit pilots are flying into engulfing flames and we are in suspense hoping they came out on the other side, they have a lack of concern, a casual manner, that undercuts the emotion promised by Hunter's intensely persuasive depiction of raw love for Dreyfuss. The air of the film is a 1940s impression, which is surely what Spielberg was wanting, but I'm not certain it succeeds as expected. In an attempt to create a dated feel for the dialogue, very much of it sounds scripted instead of spoken. The result is a remake with less than effective anachronisms, thus no reason to remake it save for the fact that the director loves it so much.

The worst part of all is the poor scripting, leading to superficial acting.

Dreyfuss' character is intensely repetitive and annoying, and Dreyfuss himself has the annoying face to match.

Holly Hunter's character is exaggeratedly self-centered, and Hunter herself indulges in serious overacting, as usual.

Brad Johnson was wooden. John Goodman made the best of it.

Furthermore, the whole death / ghost thing has since been somewhat overdone, and now appears rather lame.

Barely watchable only if you like old aeroplanes.