Episodes in the lives of two East Coast couples who are friends: Jeff Daniels and Elizabeth Perkins are the sweethearts (sweet hearts?) just getting their romance started, while Don Johnson and Susan Sarandon are married-and-bickering with kids. Tolerable comedy-drama from screenwriter Ernest Thompson of "On Golden Pond" fame isn't as maudlin (or, at least to my taste, as fraudulent) as that other film, though neither is it particularly witty or otherwise distinguished. Someone (either director Robert Greenwald, or Thompson, or perhaps the editor) chose to make each incident into its own chapter, like pages from a marital scrapbook or a photogenic kisses-and-hisses calendar. The picture comes off slight as a result, lacking in both romance and frivolity. Solid acting saves much of it, particularly by Don Johnson, whose bursts of temperament are convincing. Cinematographer Tak Fujimoto gives the movie a warm 'neighborly' feel that belies some of the emotions being played out. ** from ****

"Sweet Hearts Dance" is about a two couples...one married, one not. Beyond that there's little worth mentioning. Although the film sports a good cast and is an okay production, it is a movie in need of a story as it wanders from chapter to chapter exploring the vicissitudes of a quartet of people who are probably much less interesting that yourself. In a word....boring.

Yes, husband and wife Don Johnson and Susan Sarandon put on a good show when reminiscing (which establishes the story),but as he points out to her, they don't kiss anymore. While on a skating trip with best pal Jeff Daniels and his two sons, he confides that he doesn't want to be married anymore. In fact, he reveals through his affections that he prefers Daniels and his sons over the boring relationship with his wife, storming out on Thanksgiving after revealing how he feels in front of the family and friends gathered, including mother Kate Reid, the young daughter, Daniels and newly arrived teacher Elizabeth Perkins whom Daniels has started to date. The film is set up to play like a calendar, utilizing the colorful Vermont scenery of the different seasons to represent small town America.

A good portion of the film focuses on the men so you have to patiently wait for the women's point of view. Johnson's holiday confession sets up the conflict, and he is surprisingly good. Daniels really provides the heart, and it's surprising that it took several decades through his stage work for critics and film historians to realize how natural he's always been. Sarandon shows early on that by not really acting but reacting how good she was before her later string of acclaim on screen. This isn't exactly a "War of the Roses" story about the hatred that grows in a marriage. Sarandon and Johnson attempt to resolve their problems, even attending their high school class reunion, so for those who have gone to their reunion, it's ironic to check in on high school sweethearts who soon married to see if they made it.

Yes indeed, we've seen these stories played out on screen before, and in the 2020's as opposed to the late 80's, this is TV soap opera or at least Lifetime. But it resonates with the real people, and as Sarandon gets the chance to take over, Perkins gets her turn as well. Justin Henry, the Oscar nominated kid from "Kramer Vs. Kramer", is understated as Johnson and Sarandon's son, very natural as he takes his mother's side although he shows affection and respect to Johnson in earlier scenes. The skating scene on a frozen Vermont lake even shows the four male characters doing the whip, and when Johnson and Daniels go taboganing in the mountains on a giant slope, the beauty of the mountains show the vistas incredibly. Not surprising, veteran actress Kate Reid makes the most of her small part. This takes a formula theme and provides some nice insight, making this quite memorable. Not surprising, the script by Ernest Thompson is very "On Golden Pond" in nature, giving the prediction that one day the characters played by Johnson and Sarandon will spend time holding hands and watching the loons.