Romantic Comedy

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.

Proven playwright, Jason (Dudley Moore), meets his new writing partner, Phoebe (Mary Steenburgen), on the day of his marriage. He is bombastic, she is soft-spoken. He is confident in his abilities, she is anxious to prove herself. It is a work relationship that proves to be a blessing for each of them, over the years, but their personal relationship is never truly defined.

Adapted from a play, "Romantic Comedy" is a rom-com that feels like a Neil Simon story. Plus it takes place in New York City. It also features the music of Marvin Hamlisch, which gives it a familiar feeling.

Don't expect the conventional romantic wrap-up, where everyone's feelings are neatly tucked into a perfect ending. But it still feels Simonesque, which is not a bad thing.

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'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 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.