Time has exposed some jankiness to Clint Eastwood’s 1996 romance, based on the Robert James Waller mega bestseller; in particular, the framing device is corny and broadly acted. But its central concern is still a delicate fascination: the four-day-long love affair, told in flashback, between Meryl Streep’s Italian wife and mother, stranded in midcentury Iowa farm country, and Eastwood’s National Geographic photographer, passing through town on assignment. Their growing attraction is all the more sexy for being so unhurried, while the scenery – from the title’s scenic covered bridges to Clint wearing the hell out of a gray tee and Meryl at peak dishiness – has its own significant charms. – Kimberley Jones
