'Scent of a Woman' stars Chris O'Donnell as Charlie, a poor student at a preparatory school who is hired to take care of ex-colonel Frank Slade (played by Al Pacino), an elderly, blind, and disagreeable man who is unhappy being stuck with his daughter and her family. Charlie is witness to a crime committed by several students (including a young Philip Seymour Hoffman) against their school principal. When the principal promises Charlie that he will be guaranteed acceptance into Harvard if he reveals who did it, Charlie is torn between integrity and this promising bribe. In the mean time, Frank decides he wants to go to New York to "travel first class", "eat an agreeable meal at an exclusive restaurant", "stay at a luxury hotel", "visit his big brother", "make love to a beautiful woman", and then, to Charlie's surprise, "blow his brains out". Charlie accompanies him to New York and begins to learn much from Frank about being a mature adult, yet Frank has lost faith in others, and Charlie must be the one to save him before he commits suicide. Pacino steals the film as Slade, playing a remarkably convincing blind ex-colonel. For his performance, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor (after a previous 7 nominations). The film drags a bit in the second half, but overall delivers several powerful scenes that make the movie so memorable. The film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. 8 out of 10 stars.
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