Sie haben alle gelacht

"They All Laughed" is one of those little movies I am always recommending to friends seeking something out of the ordinary. It is firmly rooted in the screwball romance traditions of the past, but seems more contemporary. Even the decidedly early 80s atmosphere doesn't date it too much. Bogdanovich wisely keeps the whole enterprise so light on its feet, that reality never brings it crashing down to earth. But, that said, this sort of sweet little movie absolutely relies on the actors to keep it going, and "TAL" is blessed with a dream cast who understand the requirements of this sort of tale. It is a movie that wouldn't linger so long in the memory if it weren't for the little moments provided by the excellent cast: Colleen Camp's simultaneously shouting orders at John Ritter and her dog; Blaine Novak unleashing all that hair from under his hat; and especially the moment Dorothy Stratten falls for John Ritter and says, "How...weird." It's such a piece of fluff one doesn't want to lay too much on it for fear of crushing it, but it is certainly does leave one with a light heart and a smile on one's face.

This film is supposed to be pure escapism, unfortunately it is merely irritating. Ben Gazzara wanders round as if we're meant to think he's the ultimate in cool, when in fact there's no conceivable reason I can see why every woman within a radius of 10 miles should be lusting after him.

In fact this is a problem with all the characters - John Ritter's geeky act is a pain in the butt after about the first 10 minutes, yet somehow the Stratten character fall for him. As does the annoying country & western singer.

And even Audrey looks as if she's going through the motions - painfully thin in looks as well.

And finally the script - it tries for that laconic sharp Woody Allen/Neil Simon style but falls miserable short of that quality.

Bring back Paper Moon!

I maybe in the minority-I liked this movie. True it is somewhat odd and true it's not that well known but... I came upon it when flipping channels and started watching-it has to grow on you-I found, however, that this is a very unique and fun little pic and if you don't mind all the walking which is mite to make you a bit dizzy(so much walking) why not curl up and watch something different? It is the type of movie that sort of grows on you as you watch and it is not terribly fast moving but it's fun and if you love New York you'll love the metropolitan feel to this movie and the kookiness. It must have been fun to make this Movie and I wish more people knew about it. Check it out if your in the mood for something quirky and different and want to glimpse the big apple in all it's metropolitan glory.

This film is worth watching. Screwball comedy stylings brought up-to-date... ie 80's New York.

Perhaps this'll move some of you: it made Quentin Tarantino's list of his Top Ten Films of All-Time in 2002.

Screwball comedy about romantic mismatches in New York City. Peter Bogdanovich is obviously in love with all the women in his picture--he reveres them--yet Audrey Hepburn is (naturally) put a notch above the others because, after all, she's the princess Bogdanovich probably fell in love with at the movies 30 years prior. He shoots her in loving close-ups, gets right in the sheets between her and a wonderfully hard-boiled/soft-boiled Ben Gazzara, and allows her room to sparkle throughout. The love-connections made in the course of the film are fast and amusing, though I did tire of John Ritter's TV-styled klutziness. Colleen Camp, Dorothy Stratten, and the grounded, earthy-sensual Patti Hansen are all exciting to watch. But it's really Hepburn's valentine and she absolutely glows. *** from ****