“Melvin and Howard” tap dances with fleet-footed delight to the relentless tune of the never-ending hustle.
Director Jonathan Demme put Mary Steenburgen in a tulle stripper outfit, piped in The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction,” and somehow charmed the pants - not off Steenburgen - but instead, off every critic in America.
Demme’s work, about a gameshow-born boom (and bust) of a showgirl and her milkman husband, won just about every indie award around around on its release. While its narrative is simple, “Melvin” has a charming voice that would eventually be recognized as a distinctly Demme harmony.
And to that tune, the film waltzes all across the deserts and defeated dreams of America.
Steenburgen, Paul Le Mat, and Jason Robards don’t…