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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Bernard Slade (play)
Bernard Slade (screenplay)
Release Date:
13 January 1984 (Italy) more
Tagline:
He was married, she was single . . . It was a case of unsynchronized passion [Australia Theatrical] more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Ajab Prem Ki... has edge over Jail
(From Filmicafe. 7 November 2009, 12:36 AM, PST)
‘The Cup of Tears’ Trailer
(From Screen Rant. 28 October 2009, 4:03 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
One of the most delightful character comedies I have ever seen. more (8 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Dudley Moore | ... | Jason Carmichael | |
| Mary Steenburgen | ... | Phoebe Craddock | |
| Frances Sternhagen | ... | Blanche Dailey | |
| Janet Eilber | ... | Allison St. James | |
| Robyn Douglass | ... | Kate Mallory | |
| Ron Leibman | ... | Leo Janowitz | |
| Rozsika Halmos | ... | Maid | |
| Alexander Lockwood | ... | The Minister | |
| Erica Hiller | ... | Young Woman | |
| Sean Patrick Guérin | ... | Timmy (6) | |
| Dick Wieand | ... | TV Reporter | |
| Brass Adams | ... | Bartender | |
| Stephen Roberts | ... | Maître D' | |
| Santos Morales | ... | Bus Boy | |
| Fran Bennett | ... | Doctor #1 |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Romantic Comedy! (USA) (promotional title)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
Sweden:102 min | USA:103 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L | USA:PG (certificate #26942) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:Btl | Germany:12
Company:
Fun Stuff
Soundtrack:
Maybe more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (8 total)
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| Same Time, Next Year | Plaza Suite | Man of La Mancha | The Tiger Makes Out | You Can't Take It with You |
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I've always known intuitively that critics don't know beans about movies. Now I have empirical evidence. One hot, lazy evening, while perusing the listings on digital cable, I was presented the choice of this, Romantic Comedy, and There Goes My Baby (of which, see my review). There Goes My Baby got three out of fours stars, and is one of the most abysmally bad movies I have had the misfortune to watch. Romantic Comedy got only one star, and is one of the most delightful character comedies I have ever seen.
Director Arthur Hiller is known for solid comedy fare like Plaza Suite, and classic melodrama like Love Story. Writer Bernard Slade also gave us Same Time Next Year, as well as an impressive portfolio of small screen classics.
Dudley Moore, while not as impressive as in Arthur a couple of years earlier, is at his peak as Jason Carmichael, a playwright looking for a new writing partner whom he finds in Phoebe Craddock, played by Mary Steenburgen. Unlike Moore, Steenburgen's career was on the rise with Romantic Comedy, and deservedly so, coming on the heels of her Oscar for Melvin and Howard.
The problem with this movie is that it isn't a movie. It's a play. Sometimes that translates well, but here the feeling remains decidedly Broadway. That's not necessarily a problem, and in fact is one of the reasons I love the movie as well as the play. But the reliance upon dialogue and character inherent in plays, and at which Romantic Comedy excels brilliantly, is lost on the sensibilities of an American movie-going audience numbed by the sensory overload of lesser films.
The supporting cast is remarkable, with Frances Sternhagen as Blanche, Jason's agent and friend, and Ron Leibman as Steenbergen's other love interest. There are too many great one-liners to site, since, after all, this is a play, but two of my favorites are "Oh I just love New York. Every time I come here I just feel like going down on the whole city." and "We're you eavesdropping? Of course not, Blanche, who can hear anything over the clatter of your bracelets." And if these leave you a little cold, remember you're not getting them with the benefit of the timing and delivery of the consummate talent in this little gem, which returns me to my original point.
Play acting, as in "acting in plays" takes a far greater talent than the totally manufactured portrayals we see in most movies. These people can do it in spades, and that's why you should see this movie... I mean play. It is now available on DVD. Get it, and refresh your palette.