The Scoundrel's Wife did have potential to be much better than it was, the idea for the story was intriguing and there was some good talent(speaking as a fan of Tim Curry). It is certainly not a bad film, there are things to like and even the not-so-good things are not that disastrous, but at the end of the day it just felt lacking.The scenery and locations are beautiful and there is a good amount of evocative period detail. The music is subtle and not intrusive and doesn't feel too sluggish or repetitive. There is evidence of some intelligent dialogue and scenes with heart, with a relatively sweet if brief moment between Tatum O'Neal and Julian Sands where she is amused by his dancing. And three performances are good, no bias is intended here but Tim Curry stood out here. He had the most interesting character, and he is amusing and charming but also appropriately subtle as Father Antoine without becoming eccentric or dull. Lacey Chabert brings much spirit and heart into her role and didn't seem too out of place too much, while Julian Sands is in refreshingly subdued mode and comes over as sympathetic and quietly dignified.However, there are things that are less good. Most of the rest of the cast do come over as a little overwrought and Tatum O'Neal's performance felt too underplayed and lacking in emotion though with its moments. Glen Pitrie's direction is often so low-key that it felt like his heart wasn't properly in it, it's clear where the film is set and what the story is and effort is made in giving the film a nice bayou flavour(even if not always consistent) but there was overall a lack of intimacy and I never got really to know most of the characters. The Scoundrel's Wife is reasonably well shot and it's far from a bad-looking film, as seen in the previous paragraph, but there was at times too much of a TV film feel. The script and story have their moments, but the script does fall too often into melodramatic soap-opera that lacks flow and the story also has a good deal of melodramatic that is sometimes moving but too often ham-fisted, also feeling a little limp pace-wise. The ending to me seemed on the jumbled and far-fetched side.In conclusion, not a bad film but a patchy one, partially recommended but not a must-see. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Despite Glen Pitre's reputation with the critics, he shows no distinguishing talent with story, narrative or actors with this war-and-the-homefront melodrama. The men are mostly overwrought, young Lacey Chabert is totally out of the period, and Tatum O'Neal (in the lead as a widowed mother of two under a constant cloud of suspicion) is too low-keyed and looks wrung out; she doesn't connect with the audience in a sympathetic way because she's kept so distant and dry of emotions (except in the brief scene where she laughs at Julian Sands dancing--it's like a breath of fresh air to see her genuinely smiling). Film is patchy, with a low-budget feel that isn't helped by mediocre period affects. It begins with a haunting shot, a flashback that becomes clearer as the film progresses (featuring O'Neal's strongest moments), but the rest of the movie fails to rise to that emotional level. It's so passive and dish-rag limp. One may commend hammy Tim Curry as an alcoholic priest--he does liven things up--but his comic mugging doesn't belong in a movie about U-boats and power-crazed soldiers. ** from ****

In "Home Front", as the DVD was entitled, WWII German U-boats are sinking American ships off the coast of Louisiana and the little Cajun backwater town Cut Off, LA is getting the backlash. The film focuses on a woman (O'Neal) with a big secret, a doctor (Sands) with a medium sized secret, a priest with a little secret, and a USCG Ensign who is the wartime town cop and wants to know everybody's secret. Trying too hard to be all things to all people while lacking in focus, purpose, center of gravity, and character depth this mediocre little indie manages nominal drama - with O'Neal looking in need of some serious direction - while missing much of the smell, sound, and scenic beauty of Cajun country. Recommended only for fans of the players or anyone interested in the location or period. The DVD I watched had no CC's and only Spanish subtitles. (C+)

Saw this under the title "Home Front". The scenery was obviously true to LA. The characters are recognizable to anyone who has ever lived in a small town, even if a war isn't going on.Tim Curry is, as usual, superb. Tatum O'Neil is a breath of fresh air from the typical Hollywood fair. I recognized each character driving this film. Also wondered why I'd never heard of it before just discovering it on a video shelf at Blockbuster. Left me wondering how much was true as I was aware of U-boats off the coast of U.S. but didn't know anything about tankers being blown up. Guess I have some research to do. I am recommending it to everyone I know who enjoys real movies, not just effects disguised as a movie.