Chapter Two

Autobiographical comedy/drama by Neil Simon. In it a recent widower George Schneider (James Caan) meets and falls in love with a recent divorcee Jennie MacLaine (Marsha Mason). He marries her quickly, but realizes he hasn't gotten completely over his first wife. Is her love for him enough to see them through?

This was based on the real troubles Simon had when he married Mason in the early 1970s. He got over them (not completely though--they divorced in 1981) and wrote "Chapter Two" for the stage. I never saw it on the stage but I remember seeing this movie up the theatre back in 1980. I loved it (with reservations) back then and I still love it (with reservations) now.

The dialogue is virtual non-stop one-liners--real people don't talk like that but it is fun and entertaining to listen to. The dramatic sequences work well especially with Mason giving her all to what must have been a very difficult role for her to play. She's just tremendous (and drop-dead gorgeous) and was understandably nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for this role (she lost to Sally Field for "Norma Rae"). The film looks beautiful, moves fairly quickly and there's nice strong support from Joseph Bologna and (especially) Valerie Harper...but there's one big problem. James Caan. He's a wonderful DRAMATIC actor...NOT comedic. He seems very uncomfortable playing a mild-mannered grieving man, and the poor guy has no comedic timing and doesn't know how to tell a joke--most of his lines fall flat.

With a better leading man I might have given it a 10. As it is this is a strong 9. Worth catching...especially for Mason.

Let's get this out of the way first. Marsha Mason is the type of actress that puts a great deal of herself into every part she plays. What Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow were to the writing skills of Woody Allen, Mason was to Neil Simon. An actress who possessed an instinct for the writers mind and interpreted his material better than anyone. In CHAPTER TWO, Mason is at her best when delivering clever Neil Simon one liners. And although she gives it her all, she cannot on her own be expected to put across some of the stickiest dialogue ever written by Neil Simon. Particularly the self righteous overly emotional speech at the end. Not even Meryl Streep could pull that one off !! Simon had written a similar speech for Mason in THE GOODBYE GIRL. About how the character likes herself now and how far she had come in her life and how grown up and wonderful she feels. Mason should have put her foot down with this monologue in CHAPTER TWO. There is no way short of a miracle that any actor can pull gooey dialogue off like that without setting nervousness up in the viewer. This is not to say that Neil Simon has failed with this piece. Some of his words hit a nice autobiographic mark and I like the confessional speech that George (James Caan) gives about all the reasons why he resents marriage the second time around. It's too bad Caan never becomes the part. He's so wooden and uncomfortable in this. Not as the character, but as an actor who can't find his way through the part. Caan looks to Mason knowing she's carrying the weight of the picture and he's hoping her performance will carry him too. The chemistry between them doesn't jell the way it did in Cinderella LIBERTY. Probably due to some of the icky dialogue displayed here. Fortunately there's top notch supporting work by Valerie Harper and Joseph Bologna. Both are at the top of their game here. Simon seems to have written the best scenes for them. While I can forgive Robert Moore's soapy direction, I cannot for my life excuse the awful music score. Indicative of most music in movies between the decade of 1976 through 1986. Inappropriate and sappy in the worst sense.

Why would anyone want to be in love after watching this picture and hearing it's sticky music? The feeling of this movie is like one of those old butter commercials with the two lovers running in slow motion towards each other. I must admit to feeling lonely before watching CHAPTER TWO. After it was over I was extremely happy that I was not in a relationship and quite content to be single for a while. Thanks Neil !!

In short, a classic example of an effort where the dialogue runs the film, not special effects, sex, or some other 'popular' innovation. The repartee is bright, witty, and hilarious. Reminds me of the Walter Matthau-Glenda Jackson films.

The main characters' initial phone exchanges are phenomenal and hilarious. Later, the two supporting characters (played by Joe Bologna and Valerie Harper) have a meaningful exchange after being interrupted during a daytime tryst. Great dialogue. Well worth the two hour running time!! Enjoy.

I cannot believe the review I just read about this movie. It makes me want to be in a relationship. I think Neil Simon's writing for this movie is full of great lines and the speech Marsha Mason gives is so wonderful and she really pulls it off. I have played that part over and over and told several people about it who haven't seen the movie. And I thought the chemistry between Caan and Mason was pretty good and they were believable as a couple. I also thought the supporting actors played good roles--the brother (Bologne) and the friend (Harper). It had some good scenery too. The music score wasn't so good. The move is a little slow--a romance--a chic flic, I guess. I loved the ending.

CHAPTER TWO is a long and rambling film version of one of Neil Simon's best plays. Like BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BILOXI BLUES, this story is based on a part of Neil Simon's own life. James Caan plays George Schneider, a fictionalized Simon, a writer who has just returned from a trip around the world after the death of his wife. Sadly, George made the mistake of visiting all of the places he traveled with his late wife and it has apparently not aided his grieving process. At the urging of his brother, Leo (well-played by Joseph Bologna), George agrees to go on a blind date with an attractive divorcée named Jennie McLaine (Marsha Mason). Their first date is actually over the phone but they do eventually come face to face and move into a whirlwind romance which leads to a quick engagement and marriage...perhaps too quick because shortly into his new marriage, George realizes he really hasn't finished grieving over his first wife and begins to push Jennie away. Simon's first wife passed away and he eventually met and married Marsha Mason, so essentially, Mason is playing herself here and not surprisingly does it pretty effectively. However, in attempt to expand the play for the screen, it has become labored and way too long...the scenes of George and Jennie on their honeymoon go on way too long and bring the film to a dead halt. Another problem is James Cann's wooden performance as George. Caan never seems to grasp the rhythm of Simon's writing and makes George a little too melancholy. Bologna is solid, as always, as is an anorexic looking Valerie Harper, who appears as Jennie's best friend, Faye. If you're a Marsha Mason fan, it's worth checking out, others beware...