Roary (John Savage) jumps out of a highrise in a suicide attempt. He barely survives and ends up as a cripple in a poor Oakland neighborhood. He starts going to a local bar where Jerry Maxwell (David Morse) is the friendly bartender. It's a place where regulars gather and play cards. Jerry is a Warriors fan bringing Roary to a game. Jerry challenges player Alvin Martin in an one-on-one game and almost wins. The bar is in danger of closing and Roary buy it. Jerry is frustrated with flighty girlfriend Anne and his inability to get an operation to fix his leg. Lucius beats up Jerry and Anne goes off with him. Alvin Martin gets a $3 million contract and offers to lend money for Jerry's operation. Roary falls for waitress Louise (Diana Scarwid).Richard Donner directs this movie of a man regaining his life. John Savage is a solid base. David Morse shines in a something more than a supporting role. The story can ramble on a little because there is no set direction for the plot. It has that 70s feel of an undefined life course. There are some solid performances not just from the two men and Scarwid.

I recall seeing this quirky sleeper gem in 1980 on HBO when I was about 13 and was enthralled with the unique story about a man named Roary (John Savage, best known for his superb similar work in THE DEER HUNTER, and a highly underrated actor)whose failure at suicide in a freefall off a 10 story building in LA leads to a painful recovery and his gradual acceptance of a second chance at life. He discovers it at Max's Bar, a dive that houses many handicapped denizens, misfits and colorful types including a trio of elderly men (veteran character actors Bill Henderson, Bert Remsen and Academy Award winner Harold Russell, who won a special Oscar for THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, a WWII vet who lost both his hands with hooks for substitutes); an affable bartender named Jerry (David Morse in one of his earliest and memorable turns) who has a lame leg as well; and a beautiful waitress named Louise (Diana Scarwid, who would gain an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress). It is here that Roary eventually comes out of his shell, finds a best friend in Jerry and a possible soulmate in Louise, and more importantly a new outlook on life itself.Directed with aplomb, reassurance and tender care by veteran helmsman Richard Donner (LETHAL WEAPON, THE OMEN, SUPERMAN, etc.) the film unspools very gradually and certain likelihoods are just accustomed for the way the story unfolds (i.e. characters pop up out of nowhere with no backgrounds on them but just like life, accepted as part of the fabric of society). Based on a novel by Tony Walton and adapted superbly with finesse, wit and humanity by scribe team Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson (who would go on to his own acclaim as an Oscar winning filmmaker for RAIN MAN), the movie is a minor miracle in acting, directing and screen writing. Bare bones for all the world to see but a precious heart at its center with flawless performances by its three leads and some truly heart-wrenching yet not maudlin moments (Savage's climactic confrontation with both Morse and Scarwid are for the film vault and should be viewed by students of acting to see what true acting really is!) It made my heart warm to hear this incredible film was finally coming out on DVD and I can truly say it was my pleasure to re-experience this true original film that has echoes of Hal Ashby and any other 1970's 'golden age' film of its waning era on the cusp of a new decade that would more or less push nuance aside. *** One last personal note: when I first saw this with my good friend and neighbor Joe Hetro, we would always greet each other with the "Hey – Jer-REE!" fist pump ; a fine memory of my childhood.

One of the most overlooked and underrated films in recent memory, "Inside Moves" ranks among the best date flicks ever made. Too bad it's so hard to find. I myself missing this film so much that I bought a very worn, very old VHS tape of it so I could get my fix on demand. This film has everything. For guys: buddies, basketball, dirty jokes, and a pretty blond lady. For gals: romance, tear-jerking scenes (watch out fellas, you may find your eyes welling up and a lump in your throat, too), and a Sinatra song to boot. Standout performances in this wonderful ensemble piece by David Morse, Bert Remson, Harold Russell,and Bill Henderson. Diana Scarwid received an Academy Award nomination, but John Savage's performance tops them all. How he was passed over for an Oscar nomination is evidence that the Academy is often asleep at the switch. Find this film and snuggle up with your sweetie -- you'll be smiling through the tears when the end credits roll.

So friend of mine told me when she returned from her trip to DC, 'You gotta see 'Inside Moves'!' I remember asking her what it was about. She said to me, 'I don't know how to explain it, but I know you are going to love this one!' But it did not come to our hick town, forsaken by God, when it was released in 1980. Then, while practicing with a new surfboard of the day, in 1981 or 2, I crashed on HBO when I see a…something smash the top of a car! Director Richard Donner had my full attention. When it's revealed during the opening credits, this is a failed suicide attempt, I noticed a very promising actor, John Savage. However, I was wrestling with my then 'Catholic/Christian Compassion' I wasn't sure I wanted to see a flick about guy, Roary, who wants to send himself straight to the fiery pits of hell for eternal damnation! But, when we are immediately introduced to the other colorful characters that live in his building and pass the time of day in Max's Bar, "Inside Moves" had full-undivided attention of my body, mind and spirit! "Inside Moves" is a human drama about getting to know these real people whom we almost never talk to, while observing the humanity in the physically challenged and emptiness of emotional cripples. The entire cast of, then, unknown actors under the skillful fly on the wall direction of Richard Donner makes "Inside Moves" a film well worth watching...at Thanksgiving too..with the whole family!