Last of the Red Hot Lovers

What do you expect from Neil Simon except everything! He turns dialogue into chamber music. He is the consummate artist of speech. Yes, he can do plot too - and that's an understatement - but at his best, he is a COMPOSER. This movie is about a homely middle aged man TRYING to have a romance. It is most poignant and painful, with little comic relief. The critics thought it deserved only one star. Critics seem to regard awkward, homely characters as not worthy of depiction, except in comedy. They are also very partial to big budgets with lots of excitement, car chases, etc. Talk is not cinematic? Who said cinema should be cinematic? Life is cinematic enough!

Based on one of many Neil Simon plays that occur within a single room with varied vignettes, this one concerns a man (Arkin) who wakes up and decides that his life is too dull and safe and needs some spark in it. So he daringly and trepidatiously uses his mother's one-room apartment to set up a series of afternoon liaisons with women he finds desirable and each of the trysts has unexpected and mostly comic results. First he meets up with Kellerman, a jaded, sophisticated bitch who has lost most of her feelings, but still enjoys the sensation of sex. Next up is wacky Prentiss, who babbles on endlessly while displaying signs of what this generation calls ADHD and inventing all sorts of possibly-imagined drama for herself. Finally, he invites troubled, married Taylor, who is enduring her own husband's infidelity and wants to pay him back. By the time Arkin has dealt with this trio of misfits, he discovers things about himself that he hadn't originally realized. It goes without saying that the production is stagy in the extreme. The set even contains the ever-present (and much loathed by experienced theatre critics) couch DEAD CENTER in the playing area. Attempts have been made to "open up" the story slightly and extend the ladies' parts a bit, but this only draws attention to the main playing area and the repetition of it all. Arkin gives a fully-committed, deeply thought-out performance in a role that really showcases the female roles more than his own. He, however, isn't always delightful to listen to as he pontificates and screams with regularity. Kellerman is perfect for her part and has some funny throwaway lines (notably after she coughs for an eternity and then asks for something besides water afterwards.) Prentiss also performs admirably in a role that requires a particular brand of nuttiness. Her unusual vocalisms probably would be better suited to the stage, but the whole project is better suited to the stage. Taylor is probably the least endearing of the three, even though her character is likely meant to be the most sympathetic. She, like everyone in the cast - right down to the bit players - seems to be portraying the most strident and grating aspects of a New Yorker. It would almost count as an insult to the people of NYC were it not a project written and directed (and mostly acted!) by true blue New Yorkers! So it had to be intentional. Arkin's voice often sounds exactly like Jerry Seinfeld's. There's a reason that "Seinfeld" was just a half hour long and that he never starred in any films. A person can only take so much. That may be why a little of this film, even though it has some very amusing content at times, goes a long way. By the time Taylor shows up, it's already overstayed its welcome.

Arkin gives a fine turn as a successful middle-aged middle-class fish restauranteur whose fingers smell of fish and who simply has to get in on this Sexual Revolution he's heard so much about. Thus follows three sequential trysts in his mother's apartment, the first with a the embittered Kellerman, the second with the flighty Prentiss and the final with the depressive Taylor, each ending in its own disastrous way. Arkin does a lot of his frustrated signature shouting and there's a lot of dialogue, but it is a Neil Simon play after all.

The Kellerman sequence is a bit tiresome and her many soliloquies bombastic and preachy. Taylor's vignette was more amusing--if you find bipolarism and melancholia amusing. Her demand that Arkin list three good people belabors the point.

But sandwiched between these two is the Prentiss episode, which is a gem. Prentiss plays the perky, quirky, dope-smoking character to a tee: "I know I'm a goofball but that's part of my charm." Those voice inflections changing 10 times a minute, those eye rolls, those downturned crooked smiles, teeter into the realm of self-parody but we're loving it. And it doesn't hurt at all that she simply looks like a million bucks.

The fast-paced, witty script follows Neil Simon's stage play almost verbatim. Countless funny lines and come-backs make this a very entertaining comedy. Mid-life crisis seems to hit almost every character. Having an affair was the "in" thing, portrayed as a survival necessity. The "loverboy" is quite nervous about cheating on his wife of 22 years (with whom he has 3 children). Opportunities seem plentiful. Saying prayers for guidance is like a fetish to this man.

Somehow the production of this 1970s NYC setting and action feel like a French or Italian comedy. There definitely is a European flavor (of the 70s). The cover of the DVD promises a letterbox format, yet delivers only a VERY squeezed TV version. There are no added features whatsoever. Those are the only disappointments in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable comedy. Fans of Neil Simon's work will have a great time.

This Neil Simon comedy is about a middle aged Jewish man Barney Cashman who runs a seafood restaurant in New York City and lives in the suburbs with his wife Thelma. This comedy is typical Neil Simon. Barney tries to have an affair with three different women. Elaine played wonderfully by Sally Kellerman. There is Bobbi played by Paula Prentiss and suburban housewife Jeanette (played well by Renee Taylor). The film is about a married man having a midlife crisis. The film is based on the play but remains true to its intent. There is a lot more dialogue that action in the film. The film is set in New York City and an unknown suburb. The film is a delight for Neil Simon and Alan Arkin fans. Alan Arkin has become one of my favorite actors and this film highlights his charm and complexity as an actor.