O Último Solteiro

The wolf Taylor Worth (Mark Harmon) is a handsome man that is the weatherman in television. He has a great salary, a BMW, a fantastic apartment and a countryside house and has no difficulties to win the girls over. One day, his best friend and psychologist Ned Broudy (Mark Blum), who is married with Claire Broudy (Andrea Martin) with a three year-old girl, proposes a bet to Taylor: his countryside house per Claire's Picasso. Taylor shall propose three women chosen by Ned and they must say yes to him. Ned chooses the sexy fan of American football Erin Cooper (Maria Holvöe), who is always surrounded by her friend Tarry Childs (Tony Longo) and other football players; his wealthy friend Eleanor Larimore (Lesley Ann Warren), who is unhappily married; and his demanding and intellectual friend, the classical pianist Veronica Briskow (Madeleine Stowe). Taylor accepts the bet, but when he wins, he calls it off since he is in love and proposed for real one of the selected women. What will happen when the other two women discover the truth?

The delightful "Worth Winning" is one of the funniest romantic comedies from the 80's and maybe the best role of Mark Harmon's career. He plays a confident wolf that accepts any challenge to have a woman. But the plot point is when he really falls in love with one woman and is rejected by her. This comedy has a great cast with beautiful and sexy actresses and is a highly recommended entertainment. The sexy Maria Holvöe has vanished and has no biography in Internet. What might have happened to her? My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Como Agarrar Um Bonitão" ("How to Catch a Handsome Man")

Here we have a good old boy who makes a simple little bet with the boys that he can sweet talk 3 broads into marrying him within 3 months. He treats them very nicely, wines and dines, asks no special favors....it's just a wager among men. Unfortunately, he is found out and all hell breaks loose. We then see what vindictive, ugly creatures women can be when things don't go exactly as they demand. Cool comedy with Harmon doing a super job playing the sophisticated, yet downtrodden, weatherman with a heart of gold. Loved the way he kept addressing the camera with his views on the way things were progressing.

Bland 80s romantic comedy about weatherman Make Harmon betting his friend that he can get three different women to accept his proposal of marriage, on camera no less. That's not really all that funny or clever of a plot set-up, but I suppose it's serviceable enough. The women Harmon pursues include Madeleine Stowe, Lesley Ann Warren, Andrea Martin, and Maria Holvoe, so three of the four actresses are quite respectable, well known, and certainly better than this very unoriginal of material. I think seeing the usually serious Stowe in such a light film was the most amusing part of the film. Overall, "Worth Winning" would be completely unwatchable if it wasn't for the cast and 80s nostalgia value.

Lesley Ann Warren has a short scene in a negligee where she is as stunning as I've ever seen her (but it's not a nude scene, regrettably...). Otherwise, this is a bog-standard TV sitcom, stretched out to and hour and a half. Mark Harmon is certainly attractive, but his role does not exactly bring out the best in him. Little interest, and no heat, is generated by the other two ladies. Stowe is pretty, but not sexy, while Holvoe does not offer much of anything here, apart from her fancy dresses. Joan Severance is gorgeous, on the other hand, but she only gets a walk-on part (apparently, she did not qualify for Holvoe's part because she's not a blonde).

Everyone wants to give this film a bad rap because of its premise, which, okay, does border on the crass. So they go into it with their eyes and ears closed to all of the film's unique, quirky characterizations and undeniable charms, intent on hating it. As an ensemble, the players exude a magnificent chemistry and the screenplay is both hilarious and romantic. It's a real gem. And enough feminist criticism already. The film was scripted by two women. Veronica's character is dynamic and intriguing, one of my personal favorites.