Cemetery Club, The MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 1/2 Content: -2

Set in present-day Pittsburgh, this romantic comedy is a story of friendship between three middle-aged widows. Esther Moskowitz (Ellen Burstyn), Doris Silverman (Olympia Dukakis), and Lucille Rubin (Diane Ladd) spend their days going out to the cemetery, their own "Cemetery Club." Each of the trio is in a different stage of mourning, depending on how good her marriage had been. While Lucille goes to singles' events, Doris spends hours at the cemetery. Esther sees a widower, Ben Katz (Danny Aiello), in a fight at the cemetery, and later meets him at her family's music store. They become romantically entangled, culminating in a night at a local hotel. Afterward, both struggle with the idea of commitment. The trio of ladies gets back together as bridesmaids in a friend's Jewish-Italian wedding. The acting in THE CEMETERY CLUB is outstanding. The movie is a study in relationships, laced with a mix of joy, sadness, humor and zaniness that is rare today.

A number of obscenities and two profanities detract from this otherwise entertaining film. The characters emphasize and repeat after each other the obscene language. Ben and Esther get caught up in a bedroom scene with obscured nudity. There, the discussion and sounds relating to a condom are too graphic. Numerous low-cut party dresses appear. There are a few scenes with social drinking. When Lucille gets drunk, her friends disapprove and tell her she is making a fool of herself. The four main characters are Jewish, and several positive references are made about the value of prayer. There are also some humorous remarks about the Pope and Kosher Italian food. At the Jewish-Italian wedding the two sides argue over who killed Christ. Marred by foul and suggestive language, THE CEMETERY CLUB is nevertheless a thoughtful, humorous glimpse into the relationships between close friends.

Preview Reviewer: Alice Anderson
Distributor: Buena Vista Distribution,500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521