Uma Comédia Romântica

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 found this movie light and entertaining. I really don't understand why it was abused by the critics. The perfect Dudley Moore vehicle, consisting of comedy in an all too real and serious romantic life situation. NO... it's not an Oscar winner, but it certainly doesn't deserve the bad rating originally heap on it. If you are looking for a true Romantic Comedy... this is the movie you are looking for. It doesn't require that you think and worry about every twist and turn, but does bring true laughter and entertainment into your home.

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.

The film consists of more than two hours of a couple of writers, somehow in love with each other but unable or unwilling to marry, fussing, fighting, and shouting. And in the end, even though their sexual escapade proved less than thrilling, they end in a clinch on a couch. Happing ending. The film is not very romantic and certainly isn't funny. The moral dimensions of the script are wholly secular and consistently depressing. Marriage and children are nothing when compared to sexual urges, booze, and fame.

But there are some good lines in places. And the acting is superb. Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen are something to behold. The music is above average, and Arthur Hiller displays his usual excellence as a director. But even the stars of the film were unable to put life into a lame script that is at least 30 minutes too long.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

The story involves Jason (Moore) and Phoebe (Steenburgen) as a couple of Broadway playwrights who collaborate on some hits and a few misses, while trying to overlook the fact that they have fallen in love at first sight. The following dialog i really liked and I really had my hopes up for this being an interesting film. He interviews her for potential partnership. Jason: "I have some questions Ms. Craddock do plan on getting married?

Phoebe: Eventually

Jason: That's not good enough.

Phoebe: I'm sorry I didn't know this was an exam.

Jason: The point is I don't wan't to invest in a partnership and then suddenly have you get the urge to become a nursing mother.

Phoebe: I see.

Jason: No you don't! You don't know a damn thing about the Theatre! The working conditions are intolerable the people you have to deal with are ego-centric maniacs and its filled with rejections on every level. When you're writing comedy the opposite of success isn't failure it's embarrassment and it's very public Ms.Craddock, they write HEADLINES".

Rooted firmly in the early-1980's comedy mindset of "divorce plus adultery plus Dudley Moore equals entertainment," The two leads spark little chemistry together, Romantic Comedy is neither romantic nor comedic, but I give it 5 out of 10 only because Dudly Moore and Mary Steenburgen ARE good actors and fun to watch despite the weak plot.