Cousins (1989)

Directed by Joel Schumacher. Starring Ted Danson, Isabella Rossellini, William Petersen, Sean Young, Lloyd Bridges, Keith Coogan, Norma Aleandro, Gina DeAngeles. [PG-13]

While their spouses fool around with each other, cuckolded cousins-by-marriage Danson and Rossellini embark on an “emotional affair,” where they become friends, delay physical gratification, and fall in love with each other. English-language remake of French comedy hit Cousin, Cousine mixes an affable love story with jolts of cutesy humor, particularly when it comes to Danson’s wisecracking, head-over-heels pops (Bridges) and the calculated smirkiness of his “hip” teenage son (Coogan). They may not set off fire alarms when it comes to chemistry, but Danson and Rossellini are an agreeable pair; the former doesn’t stretch much, essentially playing a minor-key spin on the laidback charm he honed for years on TV show “Cheers,” but the latter is fizzy and radiant in one of her most appealing cinematic showcases. Although director Schumacher’s vulgar visual instincts are kept in check—it’s a commercial package, but not necessarily a commercial product—he doesn’t show a knack for the delicate rhythms of confectionery escapism. Dulcet music by Angelo Badalamenti.

59/100