At the height of his TV stardom, Alan Alda wrote and starred in The Seduction of Joe Tynan, a witty fable about an all-too-human New York senator just emerging on the national stage amidst many contentious personal and political crises; his kids are fed up and out of control, his wife (Barbara Harris) wants him to spend more time at home, his mentor (Melvyn Douglas) is suffering from early-stage dementia, his womanizing Capital Hill rival (Rip Torn) is thumping a segregationist to the Supreme Court, and he’s having an affair with the demure labor lawyer (Meryle Streep) who’s digging up dirt for him on everybody. Directed with nuance by under-appreciated New Hollywood poet Jerry Schatzberg, this surprising, rich, and relevant film is part-Frank Capra-part-Network-part-sex-comedy, exuberant and cerebral.
“Jerry Schatzberg directs the film with a sleek yet relaxed precision that mirrors Joe’s own breezy confidence.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
“The principal thing that keeps The Seduction of Joe Tynan engrossing is the level of acting it sustains throughout. Rip Torn brings a new dimension to political sleaziness in the role of a skirt-chasing (and catching) Southern Senator, and Melvyn Douglas is suitably alarming as an elder statesman on the verge of senility.” – Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Howard S. Berger writes about director Jerry Schatzberg on the New Beverly blog.
