By John Mulderig • Catholic News Service • Posted April 30, 2021
NEW YORK (CNS) — Back when telegrams were the emails of their day, playwright Moss Hart may have been the first to observe, “If you’ve got a message, call Western Union.”
Whether Hollywood mogul Samuel Goldwyn ever echoed that sentiment, the advice continues to hold true for screenwriters today. Stories designed to win an argument rarely make for effective entertainment.
A case in point: the historical dramatization “Roe v. Wade” (Quiver). Good intentions can only partially sustain this re-creation of events surrounding the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion across the United States. So even those movie fans most committed to the cause of life will be unable to overlook its aesthetic shortcomings.