I first saw Sweethearts Dance at its original release in 1988. I went alone, and I was lonely, because my wife and two sons were on a school trip or something. Perhaps because of this, it has stayed in my memory all these eighteen years. Sweethearts Dance was released the year before Field of Dreams, and in some ways it deserves similar status. Field of Dreams is about how easiy life can go awry. Everything is resolved through magic. Sweethearts Dance is about how easily the optimism of youth and the passion of marriage can be diluted by the routines of making a living, raising children, and managing a family. Everything is resolved through the persistence of love. Which one is more true to life? The film contains some memorable scenes, such as the turning point when Susan Sarandon's and Don Johnson's characters admit that all they want is to love each other. As Don, sitting in a tree outside the window of his own bedroom, tells his wife, "How did things get so screwed up? I miss you. I miss our children," my eyes filled with tears. Jeff Daniels, one of the best supporting actors in the business, loves Don and Susan both, and he has his own problems with love. He has found the perfect woman, but he pushes too hard and nearly loses her. The scene in which she calls him from home while he is on vacation to thank him for asking him to marry her also tugs at the heart. Jeff is able to say, "I like you," and it's enough to restore the relationship. The ending of the movie is one of the most delightful ever filmed--you'll laugh and cry at the tenderness and ridiculousness of it. Tender and ridiculous--kind of how love is sometimes. Last week I stumbled on it while looking for something else and bought it. Last night I watched it with my wife. It felt like something important had finally been finished.