Pferdewechsel in der Hochzeitsnacht

An artful mixture of deft, laugh-out-loud comedy, interspersed with touching poignant moments, makes this film special and unforgettable. Elaine May's direction was delicate yet purposeful, allowing for the superb development of characters ( in particular Eddie Albert's curmudgeonly businessman/father) without impeding the flow of the plot.

In this social portrayal of the Peter Principle, the glib, shallow Lenny somehow talks himself to dizzying social and economic heights all without the benefit of a pedigree or occupational skill set. Albert's father figure takes no time at all to see through all of this; but he is outnumbered by his wife and daughter who succumb to Lenny's charms. You can't help but feel this man's helpless pain in having to watch his lovely, impressionable daughter lured into a clearly doomed marriage.

Cybil Shephard, Eddie Albert and Charles Grondin all turned in career performances. This show was one of those rare times when everything (directing, writing and acting) came together to create something greater than the sum of its parts - it's a real treasure.

I was expecting to love this film for its cynicism and absurdity, but I couldn't get past the cold and self-absorbed characters and the overall *meanness* of their depiction. Motivation is in short supply too. Why would Lenny and Lila want to get married? Does Lenny just want sex? Can't he do better? Lila must have been repellent even while they were dating. Who goes to Miami for a honeymoon? What is Kelly Corcoran's attraction to Lenny? What are the Corcorans doing in that hotel? Shouldn't they be Catholic if they're named Corcoran? Etc. Etc.

I recognize the chilly absurdity from the Bruce Jay Friedman source, but I guess it didn't translate well to the screen. Others seem to like it though.

I looked for this movie after it was recommended in the documentary Pitch(also worth seeing). The Heartbreak Kid(stupid title) features some excellent acting and courtesy of Neil Simon a brilliant script. It's a pretty funny plot if you like black comedy. A guy 3 days into his honeymoon meets the girl of his dreams. The guy is played by Charles Grodin and the girl is played by Cybil Sheppard who looks absolutely stunning. The main comedy in the movie comes from Grodin's absurd lies or brutal honesty. The first half probably has the best humor but I thought the ending was interesting. Finally I became a big Eddie Albert fan after seeing this movie. He's great as Cybil Sheppard's Dad.

Charles Grodin is no stranger to playing dorks, dweebs, creeps or nerds. In fact he did it so often that many of us are lead to believe he truly is the character he has portrayed so many times. We all know this tale too well. A young salesman meets a nice Jewish girl in a bar and marries her. When off to their honeymoon to Miami, he discovers that she is perpetually annoying and irritating from eating Egg salad sandwiches, talking during intercourse and stubborn about his pleas for her to put on sunscreen. Enter the Flirty Cybil Shepard and all plans go to hell. I understand that much of comedy is rooted in pain and discomfort and Neil Simon understood this very well. But The Heartbreak Kid is a plot that is so aggravating and cringe-worthy that at times we really don't see the humor. Each character becomes a cliché. Jeannie Berlin's performance is admirable, but the Stereotypical Yenta is taken to its most annoying extreme. You wonder if the writer had a deep seated hatred for new York girls. Charles Grodin is far too annoying and wimpy to even relate too. When he lies to Lila in the Hotel room, trying to cover up his escapades, it's just too implausible for anyone to take seriously. It was moments like that that made this movie frustrating. Lila gets hurt, dumped and cast by the wayside. Cybil Shepard becomes the symbol of female perfection to Grodin. And the final 40 minutes is about how he pursues her shamelessly despite her father's disdain for him. I'm not sure why women would find this humorous in the least, because it casts a very negative light on their intelligence, integrity and value. I guess a guy can see the surface humor in Grodin's actions, but if you think about how truly pitiful and reckless his actions are, there's no humor at all. It's a sad tale about a man with shabby and selfish desires and the consequences of his actions. This is not funny to me at all.

Why Shepard's character is attracted to Grodin's is a mystery that doesn't get discovered. Based on her actions she is complicit in their rendezvous, and thus she is equally reprehensible. The flirting and toying with his desires shows a sheer lack of concern for his wife. It comes as a very inappropriate nuance when she utters lines, "I think you are the most decent man I've ever met." Or. "Daddy can he join us for dinner?" Moments like this reveal a true lack of maturity and social integrity. And why would the father, Eddie Albert, even offer to pay this creep money to go away? It would have been easier to fight him off or just kick him out.

Heartbreak Kid is a product of the early 1970's and the Neil Simon persuasion. Showing people in their most vulnerable, if not totally implausible, situation was a fascination for those who liked these kind of movies. The final scene where, Lenny sits on the couch telling two children his boring and odd business aspirations made them leave. And the final shot of his introspection interspersed with Mr. Corcoran's curious look of disdain was a cryptic way of telling us Lenny is a lost guy unable to live up to his ambitions.

Black comedies are problematic in that where one sees humor, another might see tragedy. So, people may laugh in the wrong places. It sort of defeats the purpose of comedy in general. Are we supposed to laugh? Cry? Get annoyed? Oh well, it's hilarious , but if you really think about it, it's not funny at all. Not the best formula for entertainment. Heartbreak kid scored 92% on the Critics score and 72% on the audience score at Rotten Tomatoes. If the Critics loved it and the audience was fairly indifferent, that should tell us something when Neil Simon and Elaine May are in the Driver's seat.

I only saw this movie a couple of years ago. I always avoided it at the video store because of the name, I assumed it must be about a little kid, something like The Champ or Lucas, nothing wrong with those kinds of movies, just not my cup of tea. But I happened to read about it in one of Leonard Maltins books, he called it one of the best comedies of the 70s, and very dark for it's time. So I rented it and loved it. I think it's pretty dark even by todays standards, Charles Grodins character is likeable in an odd way, but he's also two faced and deceitful, not to mention downright cruel to his new bride. I don't know of many actors that could have played this better than Charles Grodin, this was certainly his best role. In his biography he wrote that he recognizes the brilliance of the film, but he hated playing such a cruel character. The thing is, the character never intends to be cruel, he just can't seem to help it, lying and selfishness are just second nature to him. If your like me, you'll find yourself laughing and cringing at the same time. The ending is just perfection, he has seemingly attained what he wanted, the thing that he has lied and cheated and hurt other people to get, yet he seems to already be tired of it and longing for what he already had. At least that's my take on it, it's open to interpretation. This movie may not be for everybody, but if you like dark comedies, you should check it out.