Nice Guy

By Frank Rich

THE END

Directed by Burt Reynolds Screenplay by Jerry Belson

If Burl Reynolds wanted to he could spend the rest of his life playing nice guys in trivial movies. He is the best light leading man around, and as long as he plays it safe, he can pull in the big bucks. But Reynolds is restless; he tries to stretch himself. In Hustle and Semi-Tough, his macho screen personality has been tempered by moments of vulnerability and wistfulness. In Gator he plunged into directing. Not all of these experiments have paid off, but they do make for a fascinating career. In contrast to such superstars as Clint Eastwood and Robert Redford, Reynolds is still capable of surprising his fans.

The End contains the most surprises yet. In this comedy, which he also directed, Reynolds plays Sonny Lawson, a shady real estate man who learns he has only a year to live. Even if the film were successful, diehard Reynolds devotees wouldn't buy it: The End aspires to tastelessness and its hero is a jerk. Since the movie is a mess, Reynolds can not win.

Aside from an opening that recalls the old Nichols-May "doctor" routines, the script is flimsy and unfocused. Coming from Jerry Belson (Smile, TV's Dick Van Dyke Show), this is especially depressing. Belson wastes energy on repetitive slapstick bits that show the hero's bungled suicide attempts; The End's second half bogs down describing an unfunny friendship between Sonny and a clownish schizo (a mugging Dom DeLuise) whom he meets at a nuthouse. The film's characters and intentions are blurred and trivialized. What should have been a scabrous black comedy in the manner of Carl Reiner's Where's Poppa? devolves into a pointless, centrifugal cartoon.

As a director. Reynolds does little to help. By casting stars (among them Sally Field and Joanne Woodward) as Sonny's loved ones, he makes the film look like a series of set pieces. There is no structure and no pacing. More awkward still. Reynolds has miscast himself. Sonny seems to be a Jewish neurotic, but Reynolds' many talents do not include an ability to impersonate Woody Allen.

What is mainly appealing about Reynolds' work in The End is his sheer gallantry. He allows his co-stars to up stage him; he lets one actress, the wonderful Kristy McNichol (of TV's Family), steal the movie in a minor role. That is the kind of generosity audiences expect from Reynolds, but when he directs again he should cut it out. As the chaos of The End indicates, overly nice film makers finish last .

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