Scent of a Woman

Right now you can watch Scent of a Woman on Crave — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. 3,991 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Al Pacino anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Available now on Crave — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Scent of a Woman is worth clearing space for. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Scent of a Woman earns every emotional beat it goes for. Charlie Simms is a student at a private preparatory school who comes from a poor family. To earn the money for his flight home to Gresham, Oregon for Christmas, Charlie takes a job over Thanksgiving looking after retired U.S. Army officer Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, a cantankerous middle-aged man who lives with his niece and her family. Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell lead a cast that treats the material with real seriousness. It hit screens in 1992. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Scent of a Woman. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Al Pacino is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.