Sweet Lorraine

THE HOTEL that became the "Sweet Lorraine."

At right, Maureen Stapleton, hotel owner.


'Sweet Lorraine’ sweet but uneven movie

“Sweet Lorraine” is one of those quiet little movies.
It didn’t get a lot of fanfare when it was released way back in 1987.
And the critics weren’t enamored with it.
Personally, I wouldn’t spend $10 to see it on a big screen.
But if you have an extra space on your Netflix list, “Sweet Lorraine” is more than a diversion.
The Lorraine is an aging resort hotel in the Catskill Mountains. It is a throwback to the days when rich Jewish families would spend the warm summer months being pampered by the staff.
On nice days they would swim and do other excercising and fun activities. On rainy days, they played board games.
At the end of the season, there was a huge Labor Day party. It would then close until the next season.
Unfortunately, younger families seek more lively vacations.
As the film opens, the hotel has seen better days. The massive roof needs repairs. The occupancy is down. A death in one family causes a cancellation and the hotel owner, played by Maureen Stapleton, is visibly shaken by the prospect of losing just one customer.
Stapleton is Lillian Garber. She owns the hotel and runs it with an iron fist. Her staff, mostly wild college students, love and respect her, as do her patrons.
In one almost biblical scene, former customers pull in and ask Lillian to be taken back for the summer. The customer admits his family wanted to try something different and vacationed elsewhere. But the new establishment didn’t know them, didn’t care if they were there or not.
The Stapleton character greets each vacationer, asks about the family, and is there to bid each family adieu at season’s end.
This year her granddaughter, Molly, played by Trini Alvarado, comes to work for the summer. The worker accommodations are less than luxurius for workers.
Molly’s parents are breaking up and she needs the stability her grandmother can bring.
By the way, Molly’s roommate is played by a young Edie Falco, who later marries Tony Soprano.
The film is fun to watch and Stapleton, Alvarado and Lee Richardson as Sam, who runs the kitchen and is Lillian’s bed partner, are very fleshed out characters.
There is an uneveness about it. Nobody in the staff has a distinct character and their hijinks clash with the overall theme of the film, the possible loss of the Lorraine to new developers who would demolish the building for another cold, impersonal, modern hotel.
It’s like the producers wanted to attract the “Animal House” and “Room With A View” crowd all in one film.
Molly has a love interest, but that too is glossed over.
It’s almost as if director Steve Gomer had a checklist of points he wanted to get into the film, even if only in passing.
Granddaughter Molly seems lost at first, but finally gets the hang of the hotel and its personalities, so much so she wants Grandma to hold on one more year and they would run The Lorraine together.
Whether to sell or stay open seems to be the biggest conflict in the film and that decision is quickly made with little drama or fanfare.
Flawed or not, “Sweet Lorraine” is a sweet trip into nostalgia, a fun film to begin the summer vacationing season.
SWEET LORRAINE • Directed by Steve Gomer • Runtime: 91 minutes • Rated PG-13 • 3 stars out of 5