Barfuß im Park

This is a superb comedy with a perfect dream of a script and the comedy is genuinely funny. It's one of those rare movies where you can get a real belly laugh. The plot has been very well described by others. Fonda is great and its a pity she did not do more farce because she is perfect and she gives it all shes got. Redford never looked sexier and its impossible not to fall head over heals in love with him. Charles Boyer is superb and the scene when he takes the young lovers and the mother to that incredible restaurant is hilarious. The real scene stealer is Mildred Natwick who is unforgettable. She will have you in stitches. Her under play is brilliant and its a performance I have never forgotten. Why she never got an Oscar for this is beyond me because its the most perfect performance. Natwick was one of America's finest actors and she is deeply missed. Whatever she did she did with distinction. Proof there are no small parts.What a classy lady! You will love this movie but you will never forget Natwick.

I'm no great fan of Neil Simon, but this neat adaption of his popular stage success BAREFOOT IN THE PARK brings a smile to my face--and it probably will yours too. The story is quite simple: newlyweds Robert Redford and Jane Fonda have moved into a New York apartment building peopled by eccentrics... and their own tiny apartment has hole in the skylight, no heat, and you have walk up five flights to get there. Redford, a rather stodgy conservative, takes a dim view of the whole thing; Fonda, who has an excessively happy-go-lucky disposition, thinks everything is great fun. Needless to say, they're soon going at it hammer and tongs.

This is a very contrived, sitcom-ish plot, but the cast carries it well. Although Redford has remained a great star for forty years, his films have been very hit or miss; here he is well cast, and he plays expertly. During this period of her career, Fonda was very much the perky girl-next-door with a slight sex-kitten spin, and she too is fun to watch. But the real winners here are Charles Boyer, as their eccentric neighbor, and particularly Mildred Natwick, as Fonda's mother. Natwick excelled at playing disconcerted matrons, and this is perhaps the best of the many fine, memorable variations of the type she offered during her long and very enjoyable career. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK won't go down in history as a great film, nor will change your point of view. But it is tremendously good fun, a film I've enjoyed every time time I've seen it--and that is a good many. Recommended; you'll enjoy it.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Despite the electricity of "The Odd Couple" the emotional force of "Lost in Yonkers" and the Depression-era angst of "Brighton Beach Memoirs," this remains the best movie made of a Neil Simon play.

Like "The Odd Couple" it owes most of its enduring success to the chemistry between Jane Fonda and Robert Redford (reprising his role in the Broadway show) as the hapless newlyweds trying desperately to make it work. This is the movie that is responsible for most of the "mismatched" romantic comedies we've ever seen, including "Along Came Polly" and TV's "Dharma and Greg." It proves that flowery romantic prose isn't what makes a great love story, bold heroes and damsels in distress don't make a good love story. No, what makes a good love story are two people who, from start to finish, makes the audience go "Oh, God in heaven, please let them work it out!"

The brilliant dialogue of Mr. Simon, the charm of Mr. Boyer and the majestic backdrop of New York City make this a must-see for anyone who loves 1, comedy, 2, love stories or 3, Robert Redford because after this, he never really made another movie that was at all comparable.

Oh, I just remembered "Laughter on the 23rd Floor." I guess it's a tie for best Neil Simon movie.

This is just one of those movies that can make you feel better if you've had a bad day. Honestly, it's charming, funny, light and I don't know, just the right amount of comedy and romance. Redford and Fonda are perfect together. This is a truly great comedic performance by Jane Fonda, she's amazing in this movie. Then again I am a stickler for her lighter, funnier work from the 60s. But this one stands out as being genuinely funny and well made. I love all the funny little details, like the tuna fish cans, Robert Redford's comment about "a big cat with a can opener", Jane Fonda's mother, Jane Fonda doing a "Cambodian fertility dance", etc. It is all just too classic for words. Buy this movie if you love 60s cinema and/or its two stars, it's too good.

You won't roll on the floor laughing but you won't be sorry you spent 90 minutes with the characters on-screen. Very light and easy to take, brought to a nice level of fun by some very talented actors. Mildred Natwick earned her Oscar nomination; I wonder why Charles Boyer didn't get one, too. Fonda & Redford are both so young its hard to remember they were ever that age.

I lived in a walk-up apartment in Manhattan (fifth floor!)and had to quit smoking so I wouldn't have to have an oxygen tank installed on each floor in order to just make it home every night. I enjoyed reading the 'trivia' section about this movie and find it very interesting that the French version had to change the running joke to the 9th floor; since they are also infamous for smoking, one wonders why elevators were not more popular.