Der ausgeflippte Professor

It is truly criminal that this movie is not available on DVD, especially when you consider the tripe that is out there.

The acting is on target and the writing is superb. Richard Kiel is perfect as the asexual mobster who forces Jack Warden to bring his dorky English professor son Ryan O'Neal into the family garment business. An affair between O'Neal and Kiel's incredibly hot wife ensues, leading to a clothing fiasco that results in the development of jeans with clear plastic back pockets and a windfall profit for the company.

O'Neal returns to school, leaving his New York garment district co-workers with Shakespeare ("We few, we happy few...") And from there the finale (Verdi's Otello, Richard Kiel in the title role, an appearance on paper by Pope John Paul II, and one of the classic lines of Jack Warden's career) can only be described as perfect.

BTW, Fred Gwinn is exceptional as the head of O'Neal's English department.

Don't miss it!

Broadly-written and directed comedy about a professor of American literature who is forced into joining his manufacturer-father's dress business in New York City after his dad falls into debt with loan sharks. As an early-1970s Hollywood Lothario who first gained recognition on TV's "Peyton Place" as the resident heartthrob, and later parlayed that same appeal in the hit romantic-tragedy "Love Story", it is amazing that actor Ryan O'Neal was then typecast as a befuddled square who is nervous and unsure around women (this following his success in 1972's "What's Up, Doc?"). O'Neal doesn't really fit the role; his clumsiness isn't forced, yet the star doesn't have the innate grace for physical comedy (he's too self-conscious and heavy-spirited, and mock-innocent). The film has one great gag (split jeans), and a funny follow-up (a TV commercial promoting the jeans with see-through plastic on the rear), but none of the screwball hijinks in the boudoir raises a laugh. *1/2 from ****

Having never been a Ryan O'Neal fan, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed "So Fine". I'm sure a great supporting cast helped (especially Jack Warden). We travel from the Ivy Halls of University life to the garment district of New York City, from clothing factory to an opera performance. Throw in a little infidelity, the "mob", and a new clothing fad, and you have a roller coaster ride of a film. Oh, and some advice, never date a woman whose last relationship was with Richard Kiel. He's the jealous (and angry) type.

One thing I never understood. The accidental creation of the jeans (that led to fame and fortune), never having made it to a real world fad. They consisted of jeans with cut-outs on the seats of the pants, with clear plastic instead of denim material. It's a great look! They may have seemed a bit risque in those days or more of a costume but no more. Anyone who has been to a beach or a pool lately will consider them tame. It may be an idea whose time has come........

Ryan O'Neal gives a weak, forgettable performance, but "So Fine" is saved by Jack Warden's excellence as the beleaguered garment manufacturer. Mariangela Melato is extremely sexy, while Richard Kiel is extremely intimidating as Melato's jealous husband. Unfortunately, whenever O'Neal is on screen, which is often, the film grinds to a halt. If you enjoyed Jack Warden in "Used Cars", this is a must see. The writing is a mixed bag, though at times surprisingly clever (the see through jeans). There are also some slapstick scenes that fall flat. If Alan Arkin had been cast in Ryan O'Neal's part, this could have been a classic. - MERK

There were comedies not that funny yet still provided a fair amount of entertainment. And in some cases, the actual plot took place halfway in and wound up not meaning a lot to the actual structure of the film, story, or characters...

One such vehicle is the semi-slapstick SO FINE by first time director and usual Hollywood writer Andrew Bergman, in which Ryan O'Neal plays a semi-stuffy college professor up for tenure...

He's reluctantly brought into his father's failing New York City clothing/garment business thanks to a nefarious criminal, played by James Bond heavy Richard Kiel, ready to take over Jack Warden's crippled enterprise unless something's done about the massive debt...

Much of story has O'Neal as a fish out of water dolt like his quirky spectacle-donning klutz with hidden sex appeal smitten with a free spirited woman WHAT'S UP DOC? (O'Neal even calls his plight a bedroom farce)...

Here he's in lust with an Italian moll while trying his very best not to get killed by her husband, the monstrous Kiel, who destroys a victorious pinball machine: It's nice seeing the beloved cult actor in a "larger" role than usual, his abundant size serving as more than punchline wallpaper; and he's a genuine threat despite the wacky shenanigans...

Meanwhile, O'Neal has almost no chemistry with the blond starlet, who looks and acts like a sexy throwaway bit player rather than a co-lead in a romantic comedy (looking as if Judy Landers bought 51% stock on Anne De Salvo)...

With annoyingly dated 1980's style sex-up contrived side-characters aside, SO FINE is best known for the provocative designer jeans with plastic in the back where the pockets should be, exposing a woman's assets...

And yet, other than a quick montage of the business skyrocketing, this particular device has little to do with the overall story - except that it accidentally derived during the love triangle mainline (after a "one foot out the door" situation), which is, for better or worse, what everything ultimately amounts to.