Seems Like Old Times

The late seventies/early eighties may have left us the legacy of disco, and polyester, but it also was a time of some great comedic films, and comedic writers and actors.

I remember seeing movies such as Foul Play, Seems Like Old Times, The Goodbye Girl, Airplane, Arthur, The Main Event, Love at First Bite, The Jerk, etc. as a kid. Then they were funny to me, but now that I get older, they seem even funnier. Maybe it's the nostalgia, in a day and age of 'dark comedy', to be again in an era that was more laid-back and lighthearted. These movies are just good plain fun.

As far as Chevy Chase, and Goldie Hawn are concerned, especially in Foul Play...I would have describe them as cute, (especially together), great fun, fun to watch, great talents, and in this movie pure genius. I would love to see some of the seventies/ eighties comedy icons get together to make one last movie together. With a good script, it would be like It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World would be to the great classic comedians of early film.

I love Neil Simon comedies. The situations are so utterly outrageous, that they're hilarious. Seems Like Old Times is the story of a woman (Hawn) who's ex-husband, Nick,(Chase) is wrongly accused of robbing a bank. Nick keeps popping up at his ex-wife's house to get her to help him out, and in the meantime, she's trying to keep him hidden from her husband (Grodin), who's got an interest in aprehending Nick because he's up for the role of Attorney General.

The story is very similar to Max Dugan Returns, another Simon comedy in which Marsha Mason plays a woman who's estranged father (Jason Robards) shows up at her doorstep one night with a suitcase full of "stolen" money. In need of a place to lay low from the cops, the woman has to hide him from her boyfriend, a detective played by Donald Sutherland. By the way, if you liked Seems Like Old Times, you'd probably enjoy Max Dugan Returns, although it is not filled with as much 'stupid comedy' as the former.

Seems Like Old Times is classic Chevy Chase wit, Goldie Hawn charm, Charles Grodin panic, and comfortable Neil Simon comedy. Plus, it's got a load of other familliar faces like Robert Gillaum as Grodin's best friend and co-worker. T.K. Carter is hilarious as Goldie Hawn's chauffeur/maitre di/whatever else the woman hires him for (you'll understand if and when you have seen the movie). I think my favorite character of all, however, is the sassy housemaid, Aurora. It's a nice little film about outrageously odd occurences.

I wouldn't say Neil Simon's comic wit is at full steam in this light-hearted comedy, but there are certainly a plethora of laughs to go around.

Chevy Chase's Nick Gardenia is offishly matter-of-fact funny as only he can be, a writer and journalist (have you noticed Simon's protagonists are nearly always writers?) of ill-repute who somehow once ended up in a Mexican jail for 2 years and is now on the path to recovery when a couple of bank robbers kidnap and use him for a heist. His mug is prominently featured in the robbery photos and then the fun ensues when he goes to his ex-wife's (Hawn's) house to engender her help after being let go by the robbers and being fully on the run from the law.

The movie is mostly fast-paced slapstick farce, a host of retreaded clichés (the dogs, for example), and quick jokes. Charles Grodin is actually quite funny and charming as her straight-arrow District Attorney (soon to be Attorney General) husband, Ira. Given "Midnight Run," I think Grodin should be considered a mint for American glib comedy a la Albert Brooks.

It's pointless to go much deeper into the story as the plot merely drives slapstick scenes one into the next. The story is essentially the sum of its parts.

Goldie Hawn is in full-tilt cutie mode (she really was a doll) but carries the movie very well as a hopeless do-gooder who wants to help everybody, including her ex-husband and every stray dog in 10 surrounding counties. Chevy Chase often gives the impression of making comedy look effortless (think Fletch), but he is REALLY giving into pratfalling a la his SNL days in this one. The supporting cast with Guillaume and others is excellent.

This is completely worth a watch if you catch it as in many ways this movie is superior to the Hawn and Chase hit "Foul Play."

This movie just gave me a good feeling. The chemestry between Hawn, Grodin, and Chase was great. Chevy Chase like always has some very funny slapstick moments. The movie kind of got unfairly thrown into the Chevy Chase's pile of flops(Under The Rainbow, Modern Problems, Deal Of The Century, ect.), this is som much better than all of those, I even thought it was better than Foul Play. If you like

Chevy Chase or Goldie Hawn, watch this movie.

This movie is absolutely hilarious! I first saw it a couple of years ago and had my belly aching from laughing by the time it was over. Yesterday it was shown again on TV and it had exactly the same effect on me throughout this second viewing. Playwright Neil Simon, who scripted this film had a real grasp on his prose all through the 70s and 80s, and this film is a delight for everyone familiar with his style of lining up one-liners in such a way that the viewer barely has time to breathe from laughter. All three leads are great. This is real evidence for all those who have doubts about Goldie Hawn's talents, since she is delightful from start to finish and once again proves that she was and still is one of the greatest comediennes Hollywood ever produced. A comedy classic of sorts.