Rich and Famous (1981)

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Gerald Ayres (writer)
John Van Druten (play)

Release Date:

23 September 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

From the very beginning, they knew they'd be friends to the end. What they didn't count on was everything in between.

Plot:

Liz and Merry Noel become friends as college roommates and their friendship endures over the years. Liz becomes a respected "serious" novelist...

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Roommate | College Roommate | Friendship | Love

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jacqueline Bisset	...	Liz Hamilton
Candice Bergen	...	Merry Noel Blake
David Selby	...	Douglas 'Doug' Blake
Hart Bochner	...	Christopher 'Chris' Adams
Steven Hill	...	Jules Levi
Meg Ryan	...	Debby Blake, 18 Years
Matt Lattanzi	...	Jim, the Boy
Daniel Faraldo	...	Ginger Trinidad
Nicole Eggert	...	Debby Blake, 8 Years
Joe Maross	...	Martin Fornam
Kres Mersky	...	Judy Heller
Cloyce Morrow	...	Martha Antilles
Cheryl Robinson	...	UCLA Voice (voice)
Allan Warnick	...	Desk Clerk
Ann Risley	...	Max's Wife

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:13 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:7 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Algonquin Hotel - 59 W. 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Jaquet

Trivia:

Film debut of Meg Ryan.

Goofs:

Continuity: Merry is in bed when she suddenly comes up with title for her next novel - "Home Cookin'". But a moment later, when she rushes into her office, that title is already scrawled across the blackboard where she jots down her ideas.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Alien from L.A. (#6.16)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Take Me for a Buggy Ride

My brief review of the film

This was the last film that George Cukor directed, and the subject matter - looking at how a friendship develops over time - is appropriate content for a swan song from a director who had made many very different films over the years. However, as fitting as the premise might seem, the film is certainly not a high note for Cukor to end his career on. It is uneven in tone, and jumps through time without giving the impression that it is doing so, as the characters hardly change or age. It is no help that the characters are hard to like either, or that Bergen is an annoyance to have on screen. Bisset handles her part fairly well on the other hand, and she is able to pull through despite the excessive sexual antics given to her character. The film suffers from being too talkative too, but the dialogue does contain some wit, and there are some amusing moments in the mix. Overall, it is not a strong end to George Cukor's career, and it is not even a particularly good film. Still, for Bisset and Cukor completists, there will enough of interest here to be worth a look.