'Cry' Me a River

70's leading lady Susan Blakely ("The Towering Inferno") stars as Polly, a frazzled single mom and speed addict in "A Cry for Love" (1980). In addition to balancing kids and an unsatisfying job as a radio host, she attempts to write a book about self-discovery. Her pill habit runs her life, allowing her to balance the mothering, radio-hosting and writing. When the money runs out, she runs to Daddy (a 'special appearance by' Gene Barry), a wealthy movie producer. Stumbling around on a beach after a party where she has scored more pills, she literally trips over Powers Boothe ("Deadwood") as a man very far off the wagon. He stays over and they begin a relationship. She experiences the highs and lows of her addiction while he is never without an alcoholic drink in hand, even in a bumper car where he holds a beer in one hand and steers with the other in one scene. He likes Polly and maybe more importantly, he likes the book she's writing that no one else seems to have faith in, not even her father. Despite her own addiction, she tells Boothe's character Tony, 'I like you better when you're sober.' He sees the truth of their mutual situation by telling her 'we're two peas in a pod.' Ultimately, the pills are Polly's downfall, causing her to lose her job (you 'Gloria Steinemed yourself right out of a job' her boss says when she delivers a political rant brought on by her drug high) and to lose face with her kids ('oh, stick it in your ear, Felicia', a mild insult Polly hurls at her daughter during an argument). She and Tony are left to make decisions that will change their lives for the better. This movie came out at the tale end of the 70s, 1980 to be exact, but it looks and feels very much like a 70s movie. Some of the decor in Polly's house has that vintage 70s look and design to it. References to feminist Gloria Steinem and TV talkfest The Mike Douglas Show are mentioned and so is a generic rock band called 'The Know', obviously some kind of riff on 'The Who'. I enjoyed the brief appearances by familiar character actors: Welcome Back, Kotter's Robert Hegyes as a pizza restaurant owner who becomes the victim of one of Polly's pill-fueled outbursts, Lainie Kazan as a guest on Polly's radio show, an author who has written a book on astrology and sexuality ('tell me about your sexuality, er, tell me about your book' Polly says absentmindedly), The Golden Girls' Herb Edelman as Polly's frustrated boss and Patricia Barry (no relation to her onscreen husband Gene Barry) as Polly's caring mother. This was a nice what used to be called 'disease-of-the-week' movie, this one dealing with the disease of drug and alcohol addiction. Very well-acted by two underrated actors, Susan Blakely and Powers Boothe.