The Telephone (1988)

Film Overview
"The Telephone" is an American comedy drama film launched in 1988 by New World Pictures. It stars Whoopi Goldberg in the lead role and is directed by Rip Torn. The film revolves around the central character, Vashti Blue, a starlet having a hard time to seek work and battling life's challenges while living alone in Los Angeles.

Plot Synopsis
The movie sees Vashti Blue, a gifted yet eccentric, out-of-work starlet, pull her life into a confusing spiral, bristling with turmoil and paranoia. Residing in a large apartment in Hollywood, she invests her idle time mainly engaged with her telephone. She talks with herself and various individuals, including her ex-love Larry played by John Heard, on the phone, while staying cooped up in her home. The discussions and her isolation progressively contribute to her coming down into paranoia and disillusionment with reality.

Character Analysis
Whoopi Goldberg is discovered at her amusing finest, showcasing her innate ability to supply a non-stop one-set comedy performance, adding an unique taste to an otherwise everyday things- the telephone. She brings to life the character of Vashti Blue, an artist fumbling feelings and insanity on the edge of obscurity. She is a drama queen, loaded with mindset and an explosive edginess. Goldberg's performance is good as she tries to draw the audience into the spiralling descent of her character's terrible dilemmas.

Crucial Response
The movie opened to mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike. While critics valued the comedic efficiency of Goldberg, they were divided on the unique principle of centralizing a movie plot on telephone conversations. Some saw it as an inventive take on checking out one's solitude and coming down peace of mind whereas, others discovered it too restricting. The performance of Whoopi Goldberg was highlighted as the conserving grace of the movie. Her capability to hold the audience with her non-stop one-set comedy performance was valued. Despite the blended reviews, the movie had actually stopped working at box office.

Controversies
The Telephone' is significantly acknowledged for the debates it stirred. The initial director of the movie, Rip Torn, and Goldberg disagreed on the direction the movie was taking, which prompted Goldberg and her boyfriend, director David Geffen, to reword the movie's ending. This led to a legal disagreement where the Directors Guild of America ruled versus Goldberg and Geffen, and the movie was released with Torn's initial ending.

Conclusion
In general, "The Telephone" is a comedy-drama stressing on the mental decline of an out-of-work starlet due to her solitude. The movie reveals the widespread corrosive influence of a telephone that becomes a stage for Vashti's dramatic antics and a catalyst for her additional isolation and paranoia. It is undoubtedly Whoopi Goldberg's performance that forms the heart of the movie, making the otherwise normal property of a lady engaged with her telephone, engaging. The inventive script and instructions, though getting combined reviews, bring a particular experience for movie theater enthusiasts.

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