Accidental Tourist
Director: Lawrence Kasdan 
Screenplay: Frank Galiti and Lawrence Kasdan
Minutes: 121
Year: 1988
Score: 7.33
Release: Warner Archive
I was recently asked whether or not Lawrence Kasdan’s The Accidental Tourist still holds up today. Well, I hadn’t seen it previously so I cannot offer a comparison. What I can say is that the film plumbs emotional depths which had deep affect me.
From WBShop.com
Where to find your favorite fast-food hamburger in Paris? How many laundry-soap packets does a trip to Atlanta require? Ask Macon Leary, whose guidebooks are revered by home-loving business travelers who loathe being in transit. About matters of the heart, don’t ask Macon. He doesn’t have a clue. At least, not yet.
This funny, tender film of Anne Tyler’s best seller reteams director Lawrence Kasdan with his Body Heat stars William Hurt and Kathleen Turner as misfiring Macon and wife Sarah, and showcases Geena Davis in her Best Supporting Actress Academy Award®- winning* role of romantically inclined dog-trainer Muriel. Chosen as the year’s best movie by the New York Film Critics Circle and a nominee for three other Oscars®, including Best Picture, The Accidental Tourist will leave you glowing
It is worth noting that I am a fan of Lawrence Kasdan, The Big Chill is a good movie which in unjustly maligned. Kasdan has also written many of the films which entertained my childhood, which is odd considering the theme of The Accidental Tourist.
The film is so well written that it actually made me feel like an unduly wise film coinsure. It doesn’t take long until I am brought back down to reality. This is part of movie magic for me. There are plenty of shows or films that are so obvious that I know what will happen by the half way mark, when this happens there is a decent shot that I will shut it off. What Kasdan does here is that he loosens the knot before he synchs it back down and keep you tied to the film. 
Or I am not that smart. Either way I definitely think The Accidental Tourist is worth the time. There is something in the above description from WBShop that really tries to bury the lede and showcases deceptive marketing. While the film does have its share of laughs it is definitely a drama about a marriage broken by the death of a child. The marketing makes it sound like William Hurt is a bumbling philanderer, but marketing mishaps are too common and luckily the film did not suffer come awards season.
I am grateful for the WarnerArchive.com for re-releasing this film and the print is, in my memory, pristine. There are a few special features but there are “vintage” and in DVD quality. I can confidently recommend this release to you. It can be ordered HERE from WBShop.com.
Special Features
- Introduction by Lawrence Kasdan
- [Selected Scene] Commentary by Geena Davis
- It’s Like Life
- Lifted [deleted] scenes
Director: 7 – Cinematography: 7 – Edit: 5 – Parity: 6 – Main performance: 10 – Else performance: 7 – Score: 6 – Sound: 5 – Story: 8 – Script: 9 – Effects: 6 – Design: 8 – Costumes: 8 – Keeps interest: 8 – Lasting: 10