Touches You

Such a frustrating disappointment

Good movie but grossly overrated

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Exceptionally bright teenage boy, a cello student at a professional school in New York City, falls in love for the first time with a newly-enrolled dancer just relocated from Detroit. Writer-director Arthur Barron shows a documentary filmmaker's eye in working out the day-to-day lives of these smart, appealing kids, while his script is blessedly free of issues. Jeremy (nicely played by a young Robby Benson) is intelligent without being a nerd, talented without alienating his friends, and quietly, jokingly rebellious with his humorless father without being a smart-ass. Barron won the Best First Work award at Cannes, and was nominated for the Palme d'Or, and Benson was nominated for a Most Promising Newcomer Golden Globe, though the picture was otherwise ignored in 1973. It gained some recognition once it played on cable in the late 1970s--and after Robby Benson and co-star Glynnis O'Connor were re-teamed in 1976's "Ode to Billy Joe". **1/2 from ****

Seemingly little-known, Jeremy is a film I encountered through the recommendation of a radio critic to one of his lovelorn listeners (not me, I promise). Sounding rather interesting, I decided to give it a go.The tale of first love and the enamouring wonder of teenage affection, Jeremy follows the titular character's rapid fall to the beauty of his beloved Susan. Starting with the first shy introductions, we follow the adventure of this fledgling couple. Our opening scene introduces us to the main character via his bedroom and possessions as he slumbers on in the background, lightly romantic music giving us a gentle introduction. Once we are satisfactorily au fait with the young chap, scenes of a more verbal nature present us with one of the major themes of the film. The insistence of Jeremy's music teacher that "there's nothing wrong with being a good musician, you don't have to be great", as well as his father's claims that "you can't do two things at the same time and do 'em both well", lay a poignant foundation for later scenes. The first time we meet Susan coincides with her and Jeremy's first meeting, an amusingly sweet scene that might, in other less well constructed circumstances, have seemed sickeningly saccharine. It is from this point that the film's general tone becomes apparent: a tone which almost forces us to feel the same emotions as the characters. Never overbearing, the film keeps us on the same emotional tier as Jeremy and Susan, their growing love an accurate mirror of the audience's gradual inclination towards loving the movie itself. From start to finish, the scenes which feature the young couple are wholly convincing, the performances of both actors never wavering in quality, at least not in the scenes they share. Generally, the film would not suffer from a slightly more proficient cast, though this is almost completely forgotten in the warming aura of love's allure. Perhaps suffering from shortness a tad, the film gives its hero and heroine a little too little time together, though a wonderful central scene of physical culmination represents the beautiful peak of the piece, and of teen romance films in general.Not without its flaws (though what movie ever was?), Jeremy is an eminently likable film which portrays one of the most realistic and memorable relationships the big screen has seen. Amicable, amiable, affable, and adorable, the film is in every way to us what Susan is to Jeremy: beautiful; irresistible; unforgettable.

I was a 12 years old when I saw "Jeremy" - here in Brazil, the title was "Susan and Jeremy - the first love". I remember I loved the movie, I cried a lot. Unforgettable is the soundtrack. After that age (today I'm 37), I've never seen this movie again, but - sometimes - I catch myself singing its song ('The hourglass song', I suppose). I'd like to see it again.

If you like love story, watch this movie. The simplicity of this film is beautiful. The song "Jeremy" is great.