The Four Seasons (1981)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Alan Alda

Writer:

Alan Alda (written by)

Release Date:

22 May 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Here's to our friends... and the strength to put up with them.

Plot:

Three middle-aged wealthy couples take vacations together in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Along the way we are treated to mid-life...

Plot Keywords:

Skiing | Log Cabin | Directed By Star | Yachting | Friendship

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Alan Alda	...	Jack Burroughs
Carol Burnett	...	Kate Burroughs
Len Cariou	...	Nick Callan
Sandy Dennis	...	Anne Callan
Rita Moreno	...	Claudia Zimmer
Jack Weston	...	Danny Zimmer
Bess Armstrong	...	Ginny Newley (Callan)
Elizabeth Alda	...	Beth Burroughs
Beatrice Alda	...	Lisa Callan
Robert Hitt	...	Room Clerk
Kristi McCarthy	...	Waitress
David Stackpole	...	Doctor

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Norway:12 | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Agnes Scott College - 141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The scene where Alan Alda calls Carol Burnett "perfect" was not in the original script. Burnett asked for the scene to be added.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the very beginning of "Autumn," we see leaves falling as a blue Mercedes sedan whooshes by (the camera catches the right side of the car) on a curvy road. All we see is the right side/front of what is very clearly a late '70s/early '80s S-class Mercedes (likely a 450 SEL or a turbodiesel variant of the same body style). However, in the next shot, the car shown is the same color, but very clearly a 300 class (300 Diesel or 300 Turbodiesel) model. The latter is used in all interior and exterior shots throughout the Autumn (at the Connecticut inn) and eventually sinks on thin ice in "Winter."

Quotes:

Ginny: I never met anyone who knew so much about the actuarial tables.

Movie Connections:

References Two Years Before the Mast (1946)

A Screen Full of Alda

Another film I never get tired of re-watching, THE FOUR SEASONS is an entertaining, albeit predictable comedy-drama about three affluent couples who vacation together, whose perfect circle of friendship is forever altered when one couple decides to divorce and the man tries to bring his new girlfriend into the circle. There is a lot of funny stuff that goes on here and a lot of unpleasant stuff as well, especially the way the circle treats the new girlfriend, but most of it rings true and the emotions expressed among these friends about losing the wife who was rejected for a younger woman, are quite real. My only problem with this film is that all the characters talk like Alan Alda. Yes, Alda wrote and directed the film, but he should have given the characters their own personalities, not his. Alda and Carol Burnett make a very believable long-married couple, Jack and Kate as do Jack Weston and Rita Moreno as Danny and Claudia. Len Cariou makes the most of an unpleasant role as Nick, the husband who divorces his wife (Sandy Dennis, in a lovely and heartbreaking performance)and tries to bring his new girlfriend (Bess Armstrong) into the circle. There is slapstick and sentiment and pathos and I have to admit to cheering the first time I saw the scene where Armstrong tells the group off for treating her like an outsider. It's not Chekhov, but it is a charming film with likable characters, realistic situations, beautiful scenery and a lovely musical score. If you hate Alan Alda, beware.