Romantic Comedy

I saw this the same week that I saw Dudley Moore's other 1983 romantic comedy, "Love Sick". While I have to give the edge to Marshall Brickman's "Love Sick," this is also a sophisticated and easy-going comedy that delivers lots of smiles and a few good chuckles. Dudley Moore was only a leading man for 13 years (1979-1992) and starred in only 13 films. While I didn't care for his boozy millionaire in "Arthur" and "Arthur 2," I think his work in Blake Edwards "10" and "Micky and Maude" was excellent. He plays an average guy with a little bit of charm and intelligence very well. Here, he plays a playwright without a great deal of talent. He has to get by on the talent of his collaborators. Mary Steenburgen is the real standout in the movie. It may be her best performance. She works very well with Moore. Steenburgen is really more of a character actress and that is where she does her best work, see "Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School." She really can't carry a movie as a lead, but here she plays straight man to Moore and the chemistry works. The story is about a man and a woman who should fall in love and get married, but their careers and lives force them out-of-sync, so they become friends instead. The movie isn't a laugh riot and it won't knock your socks off, but it is a sad/sweet two hours of mature and sophisticated banter.

I watched this today b/c of two reasons... mary steenburgen and dudley moore. I have liked both of them for years and as this is the first time i was aware of this movie i had to see how they were together. Well they had good believable chemistry but the problems i did have with the movie was it felt rushed and also the way some scenes would go from one to another with the flip screen effect... guessing that is what it is called seemed like a trick a sitcom would use. I felt like the strongest scenes was when dudley or mary would show their dramatic side... as for the comedy some jokes were better than others. I feel like they did the best with the weak script that was handed to them. Also such a weak title for a movie.

I've never quite understood why this movie has so bad a reputation. It's not Tracy and Hepburn, to be sure, but I found Dudley Moore a lot more likable in this than I usually do and Mary Steenburgen is great, I think. It should appeal to those who like Neil Simon and movies set in the Manhattan theatre world. There's some funny stuff here and there and I thought the characters were agreeable. 'Romantic Comedy' is certainly no classic for the ages but I think that people who enjoy the genre in the title should like it.

I've always known intuitively that critics don't know beans about movies. Now I have empirical evidence. One hot, lazy evening, while perusing the listings on digital cable, I was presented the choice of this, Romantic Comedy, and There Goes My Baby (of which, see my review). There Goes My Baby got three out of fours stars, and is one of the most abysmally bad movies I have had the misfortune to watch. Romantic Comedy got only one star, and is one of the most delightful character comedies I have ever seen.

Director Arthur Hiller is known for solid comedy fare like Plaza Suite, and classic melodrama like Love Story. Writer Bernard Slade also gave us Same Time Next Year, as well as an impressive portfolio of small screen classics.

Dudley Moore, while not as impressive as in Arthur a couple of years earlier, is at his peak as Jason Carmichael, a playwright looking for a new writing partner whom he finds in Phoebe Craddock, played by Mary Steenburgen. Unlike Moore, Steenburgen's career was on the rise with Romantic Comedy, and deservedly so, coming on the heels of her Oscar for Melvin and Howard.

The problem with this movie is that it isn't a movie. It's a play. Sometimes that translates well, but here the feeling remains decidedly Broadway. That's not necessarily a problem, and in fact is one of the reasons I love the movie as well as the play. But the reliance upon dialogue and character inherent in plays, and at which Romantic Comedy excels brilliantly, is lost on the sensibilities of an American movie-going audience numbed by the sensory overload of lesser films.

The supporting cast is remarkable, with Frances Sternhagen as Blanche, Jason's agent and friend, and Ron Leibman as Steenbergen's other love interest. There are too many great one-liners to site, since, after all, this is a play, but two of my favorites are "Oh I just love New York. Every time I come here I just feel like going down on the whole city." and "We're you eavesdropping? Of course not, Blanche, who can hear anything over the clatter of your bracelets." And if these leave you a little cold, remember you're not getting them with the benefit of the timing and delivery of the consummate talent in this little gem, which returns me to my original point.

Play acting, as in "acting in plays" takes a far greater talent than the totally manufactured portrayals we see in most movies. These people can do it in spades, and that's why you should see this movie... I mean play. It is now available on DVD. Get it, and refresh your palette.

Romantic Comedy held all the earmarks of being a moving, heart-wrenching romantic drama. There was one scene in particular that was so well done, I felt certain that I'd be reaching for the Kleenex box. However, the way it ended (no spoilers here, don't worry) and the increasingly unlikable character of Dudley Moore made for a pretty unpleasant viewing experience. The acting of Dudley and Mary Steenburgen was very good, especially in the dramatic scenes. She wore some very sweet and tender expressions, and he radiated self-loathing and sabotage. If you felt When Harry Met Sally was too cutesy and needed more dramatic realism, this precursor will be a good fit for you.

In my favorite scene, Dudley's wife, Janet Eilber, tells him she needs to have a discussion about their future. He naturally thinks they're going to split up, and he all but confesses his feelings for Mary (who has all but confessed hers). Instead, Janet announces she's pregnant. Dudley's facial expressions are perfect. He knows he has about five seconds in which to decide whether to leave Janet or stay. He knows his life is completely over, for if he leaves her, he'll be tied to her forever and carry the guilt of abandoning his child. Instead, he's stuck in a loveless marriage with massive incompatibility. Whatever budding feelings he had for Mary need to be squelched, and he needs to make this moment a happy one for his wife. All that is communicated to the camera in five seconds, and it truly breaks your heart when he embraces her.

This movie really was a precursor to When Harry Met Sally. Two people have a great relationship but are destined to just be friends, even though there's obvious love beneath the surface. Years and years pass, and they remain in each other's lives through thick and thin. The difference is the comedic tone of Nora Ephron's script. This version has no pair of friends who are funnier and more likable, and there isn't the overall lightness of the leads' exchanges. This one is heavy, and Mary carries a lot of pain throughout the years she spends with Dudley. If you like her, you won't want to miss this one - even if you don't end up liking it.