Own the rights?
Alan Alda worked his way away from the TV series "M*A*S*H" cautiously and nimbly, first as an actor in "Same Time Next Year", then as an actor-writer with the classy "The Seduction of Joe Tynan" and eventually with his smoothest film to date "The Four Seasons", where he was writer, director, and star. 1988's "A New Life" seems to take him right back to television, with a sitcom script and one-dimensional characters. Alda and Ann-Margret are New York marrieds who decide to divorce and seek out other partners, finding themselves out of step with the modern singles-scene. Ann-Margret (sporting a big poof 'do that was way too big even for the '80's) is an attractive presence, and it seems natural for her to be drawn to John Shea (who could be Alda's younger brother), but the other players look lost in their roles, and Alda as a writer has only obvious points to make. It's all a comedic sham; plastic, unrealistic, and relentlessly mediocre. *1/2 from ****
You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.
