A Baird Man

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This is, of course, from Scent of a Woman, the 1992 film starring Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell. O'Donnell and Pacino play, as Wikpedia puts it:

Charlie Simms is a student at an exclusive New England prep school. Unlike most of his peers, Charlie was not born to a wealthy family. To pay for a flight home for Christmas, Charlie accepts a temporary job over Thanksgiving weekend looking after retired Army Ranger Lieutenant  Colonel Frank Slade, who Charlie discovers to be a cantankerous blind alcoholic.

 "Cantakerous" is putting it mildly. He's an asshole. Half the film is Slade berating Charlie. But, it's fun to watch, in a similar fashion to R. Lee Ermey's portrayal of the DI in Full Metal Jacket. You just can't help but watch the show. He's also a blowhard - but as the movie progresses, we learn that he really has been there and done that, and he does have some endearing traits.

Charlie finds himself in a moral quandary when he and another student witness other students arranging a prank (which finds the headmaster and his "committee bought Jaguar" covered in white paint), and called in and pressured to inform on those students. Of course, all the other kids are rich, and Charlie is not, and the headmaster tries to bribe Charlie with a scholarship to move on to Harvard if he finks.

He then finds himself traveling to New York City with the Lieutenant Colonel for a "breather" - unknown to Slade's family keepers, who would undoubtedly be against it. Fine dining, drinking, a suite at the Waldorf Astoria, a night with a high class hooker, then commit suicide. Charlie ends up talking Slade out of it - and that moment is the climax of the story, as far as I'm concerned.

As the trip progresses, the two gain a measure of respect for each other. Charlie could see Slade's pain and understand the bluster, and Slade could see that Charlie wasn't the weak willed pushover he originally thought the kid was. He learns that Charlie has a stiff spine and a good set of morals. His perceived weakness is just his natural kindness and affability.

But, Charlie's predicament remains unsolved, and he is called before a meeting with the disciplinary committee with the entire school present. Slade unexpectedly shows up in support of Charlie, and cannot hold his opinion in any further after the headmaster excoriates Charlie and lets his wealthy companion witness (with his father, a big donor, beside him) slide. The other "conspirators" were named by the kid, but the headmaster just couldn't do anything to them without corroborating proof. So, he was recommending expulsion for Charlie when Slade erupted, as seen in the video above.

That has to be one of the great scenes from modern movies, period. Some accused Pacino of overacting - he certainly played the part to the hilt. This scene wouldn't have made as much sense if Pacino wasn't so exuberant for the rest of the film - it would have been out of character. And, IMHO, this is probably Chris O'Donnell's best performance in a film. He's been a disappointment ever since.

And this isn't the only notable scene - while in NYC, Slade and Charlie encounter a young woman waiting for her boyfriend, and Slade talks her into dancing the tango. With him. The blind guy.


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Great stuff, eh? I wasn't going to post three videos in one article, but sheesh, this is the climax of the movie, and it gets pretty intense. And there is language involved.


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But, even though you've just seen three major events from the movie - if you have not seen the whole thing, you need to. There is soooo much more I'm not telling you about, and you do get to see some serious character development as the movie progresses. And Pacino finally won a Best Actor Oscar, after seven previous nominations.

It's certainly a tour de force for Pacino. Highly recommended.