The Buddy System

One doesn't so much watch "The Buddy System" as struggle through it. Unwed mother Susan Sarandon is studying to be a court stenographer but can't pass the final exam. Meanwhile, grade school son Wil Wheaton--who tells his classmates that his father is rich and powerful and that's why he never shows up for the school plays--makes friends with Richard Dreyfuss as the school's security guard, who doesn't turn the kid in after he discovers the boy's mother has gone to great lengths to place him there despite living outside the school's jurisdiction. Screenwriter Mary Agnes Donoghue doesn't even try to disguise her desire to ape Neil Simon's wisecracking romcoms--and certainly casting Dreyfuss in his role was a coup, refreshing one's fondness for "The Goodbye Girl"--but between Donoghue's crassness and director Glenn Jordan's lethargic pacing, the movie is a chore at 110mns. There are two gay slurs within the first few scenes, which tips the audience off that everyone on-screen is strictly heterosexual (and if this isn't enough, both Dreyfuss and Sarandon are seeing other people, with Dreyfuss' girlfriend Nancy Allen playing her first scene in a black bra and panties). For her part, Sarandon works hard at being an adorably lenient mom, and she gets a good, testy rhythm going with wheedling mother Jean Stapleton. Dreyfuss, going for restraint, is more nasal than usual, and it doesn't help that his character (who's also a part-time inventor and part-time writer!) is a sap. The filmmakers seem to think he's a catch, though...and why not? In the end, he talks mom into buying her kid a dog. *1/2 from ****

If you have nothing to do and need some diversion from cable, this beats contemplating your navel. This is workmanlike film made at the factory. The product is good enough for comercial work. Nothing fancy, nothing inspired. But a pleasant flick for a rainy day.

Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfus.

This is a mess of a rom/com. The adolescent boy of a single mom makes friends with an adult male school security guard by virtue of being caught attending school in the wrong school district. Upon the discovery, the child offers his mother as a bribe to the officer to prevent the guard reporting the transgression.

The premise is creative, to say the least, and the performances by Sarandon and Dreyfus are heartwarming and real. I liked this, but as usual, I'm in the minority. This film is vastly underrated, by virtue of the quality of performance and presentation involved. The dialog between those two is natural and believable.

All in all, though it's dated, it's a quirky, cute, heartwarming rom/com. And, while it's not the stuff of Friday/Saturday night viewing, it IS worth making time for.

It rates a 7.2/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Dreyfuss stars in the same role as his Eliot Garfield in "The Goodbye Girl," while Sarandon plays an insecure single mother in this rather shaky romantic comedy. It's all typical. Boy meets girl. Nothing too exciting.

This was a cute little love story starring Richard Dreyfuss before he became pompous, Susan Sarandon before she became sexy, and Wil Wheaton before he became utterly insufferable. The love is more a familial kind of thing; Dreyfuss and Sarandon never really generate much romantic "heat," but the family connection that Joe develops with Emily and Tim is really nice. Jean Stapleton comes off (appropriately) as really chilly in this, a good performance that reminds one what a terrific performance Edith Bunker always was. For once, Nancy Allen doesn't stink up the joint like she usually does, because her shallow airheaded character seems fairly close to her real personality. This is one of those forgotten movies that turn up occasionally on Saturday afternoon TV, but it's a nice 2 hour diversion.