Breezy (1973)

Director Clint Eastwood’s Breezy (1973) focuses on the unexpected and unorthodox love affair that arises between a middle-aged, divorced real estate broker named Frank Harmon (Holden) and an open flower child by the name of Breezy (Kay Lenz). It takes us through the expected paths of Hollywood: will he adopt her; will they have just sex and part; will they live happily ever after. Let’s face it, in such narratives, any which way is possible.

Set aside for the moment all the midlife crisis bull, and the bitterness towards older men who date younger women. Also, let us discard our modern hatred of hippy film “theme songs” of yesterday. Finally, forget how more glossy pictures have gotten you used to “teens” that haven’t seen that side of twenty in a dozen years, and realize that this girl really does look like she is meant to. (The main issue is that this movie may look a bit more shocking because, beside the 55 year old Holden, they actually cast a 20 year old girl, whereas many other pictures would have contracted a 25-27 year old. Hence, the May-December relationship looks a little less average and a lot less comfortable… For us, and for Holden’s character.)

Aside from these possibly problematic things, Breezy is a fairly enjoyable and often sweet picture. The age difference is not taken over lightly, and the main characters are both likeable. She is not a sniveling brat, nor a cardboard figure of a Pollyanna. He is neither stodgy nor sexless. He’s just old.

While this picture has some of William Holden’s most explicit love scenes to that date, Eastwood almost seems to be going for the artistic, rather than the exploitative. Still, Lenz was understandably uncomfortable about the brief full frontal she had to perform in front of Holden. Holden, who was usually a gentle and understanding man, immediately decided how he could best help her. In the lamp light, as she stands and faces him, his eyes never once move from her eyes. Not one flicker of an eye travels anywhere indecent or uncomfortable. What then was meant to be a sort of professional courtesy becomes, for the audience, a glimpse of terrific intimacy and sweetness.

Even if it were not for the nice portrayals of loneliness and hope sprinkled liberally through the picture, I would recommend this film for that locked look alone.


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