The Goodbye Girl (1977)

Sadly Over-hyped

hyped garbage

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This was my first real look at Richard Dreyfuss. Of course, I remembered him from "American Graffitti." But here he plays a more defined character. Dreyfuss shows up at the door of Marsha Mason (Mrs. Neil Simon) and demands her apartment. Her estranged husband let the place to this guy, not considering for a second that she and her daughter were still living there. To be civil, she reluctantly allows the young actor to use a room. He has every right to be there, but they need to compromise until she can find another place. Of course, that other place isn't happening. Soon, the two of them begin to have a turbulent relationship. He has the upper hand and starts making demands. Meanwhile, he has been cast off Broadway as "Richard III." His director is a nutcase, forcing him into an interpretation of "Richard" that drives him crazy. We know this is a love story and we can't help watching the chemistry of these two fine actors. Over the years, I realized that Dreyfus sort of played the same role over and over. His own personality always shone through. This is Neil Simon and is a very worthy film. Loved it.

When former dancer Paula McFadden comes home from a shopping spree with her ten year old daughter Lucy, she finds a Dear Jane letter from her boyfriend Tony. They both had been looking forward to accompanying Tony to California while he films a movie. It seems he's taken a film role in Italy instead and left her high and dry. This is the beginning of her problems. Later that night, she and Lucy are awakened by someone at the door. She opens it to see a soaking wet Elliot Garfield, starving actor. He claims he has sublet the apartment from Tony for three months for $600 and wants to move in that night since he has no place to stay. After telling him to take it up with her fictional police sergeant husband, Paula slams the door in his face and goes back to bed. He calls her a few minutes later from the phone booth down on the corner and tells her he knows she's lying. He convinces her to let him come up and talk over the situation. Paula agrees to let him stay, reasoning that he has a key to the place and she would have to stand guard to keep him from coming in. She begins listing rules for living in the apartment and he responds that he's paying the rent and he will make the rules. Thus begins an unlikely and amusing love story. If you're looking for nude love scenes and bawdy humor, look elsewhere. This is a sweet, funny and smart romantic comedy about two people making the best of a difficult situation and learning to trust again.

The Goodbye Girl is a well-paced and bright romantic comedy from the 1970's which also reflects the lifestyle and social currents of that decade, sandwiched between 60's idealism and 80's materialism. This might sound glib but for me, it fits neatly in that period when young people were coping with disappointments and heartache as they tried to build lives for themselves. The script and the acting are funny, sad and entertaining throughout.The repartee between Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss sparkles as the two people who are forced to accept each other as roommates, only because of economic necessity. One is a granola-eating guy from Chicago who meditates and exercises as he tries to make it in the New York theatre scene. The young woman is a single mother who has been abandoned by her common-law husband and tries to return to dancing. The music of Bread evokes the soft rock of the decade. We see Marsha Mason working as a sales girl for a Japanese car company in an era before Japanese cars were commonplace. Before gay rights became part of the social agenda, Richard Dreyfuss takes on the role of Richard II in a way that a 1970's audience felt was more like their home decorator or hairdresser. It all seems a bit dated and predictable; however, with the acting of Mason and Dreyfus and the brilliant script from Neil Simon, it still entertains and resonates with audiences.

'The Goodbye Girl' is A Wonderful Film, that is well-written, well-acted, well-directed & even well-executed. It's one of the most involving movies from the late 1970's, as it gets almost everything right.Directed by Herbert Ross, 'The Goodbye Girl' centers on an odd trio-a struggling actor, who has sublet a Manhattan apartment from a friend, the current occupant "his friend's ex-girlfriend, who has just been abandoned" and her precocious young daughter.Neil Simon's Screenplay is top-notch. The film begins well and only keeps climbing the ladder. Also, the diversity between it's characters are very well-defined. The only problem I had with this film, was it's running-time. The film is about 10-15 minutes longer than it should have been. I feel if trimmed, it's overall impact would have only enhanced. Herbert Ross's direction is under-stated. Cinematography is perfect. Editing is alright.Performance-Wise: Richard Dreyfuss is lovable in an Oscar-Winning Performance. Marsha Mason is excellent in an Oscar-Nominated Performance. She delivers in each & every sequence. Quinn Cummings is confidence personified, in an also Oscar-Nominated Performance. She stands on her own and matches up step to step, near senior performers like Dreyfuss & Mason.On the whole, A Romantic Comedy-Drama, that manages to keep you hooked on the screen almost throughout. Worth A Watch!