| The Goodbye Girl | | Cast : | Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason | | Director : | Herbert Ross | | Studio : | Warner Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | , 1977 | | DVD Released Date : | January 18, 2000 | | Language : | French (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 23, 2005 | | Summary | Hollywood's Golden Upset | Content
 | Did you know that the obnoxiously humorous fat cat,. Garfield, was invented by master cartoonist Jim Davis just one year after the release of THE GOODBYE GIRl? In interviews Davis readily admits that he borrowed the name of his feline creation from Richard Dreyfuss's character, the pushy actor Elliot Garfield, and not only the name, but his whole persona of the know it all smart aleck. Methinks the recent animated version of GARFIELD should have used Richard Dreyfuss's voice instead of Bill Murray's. Never mind, Dreyfuss has been laughing all the way to the bank ever since he won the Oscar at age 30 for playing the part in one of show business' most incredible and unaccountable upsets. In Hollywood circles it has long been whispered that on that long ago Oscarcast, presenter Faye Dunaway (the previous year's Oscar winner for best actress) was feeling her oats when she blearily opened the envelope and read the wrong name as the winner. It is said that John Travolta, who might conceivably have won the Oscar instead of Dreyfuss, has refused to speak to Dunaway ever since.
THE GOODBYE GIRL, although sluggish in places and terribly overacted by Richard Dreyfuss (although, to give him credit, he was just doing what he was supposed to do), is far from the worst Neil Simon movie of the 1970s and indeed might be the best! In fact the success of THE GOODBYE GIRL encouraged producers to keep hiring Neil Simon for another 10 years of imitations of this formula. If GG hadn't succeeded we might have been spared some of the treacle that was to follow, including CHAPTER TWO (where Marsha Mason marries James Caan), SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES (with Goldie and Chevy) or ONLY WHEN I LAUGH (with Kristy McNichol playing the daughter of Marsha Mason).
Luckily in this picture the growing friendship between Marsha Mason and the 60s starlet Joan Hackett met with distaste by Mason's husband, and he divorced her ending their incredible partnership not too long afterwards. They had a crazy streak of hits and flops together and will go down in history as the man who wrote the worst parts for an actress with a little bit of talent. After that, for Neil Simon it was Matthew Broderick pictures and the Alec Baldwin-Kim Basinger disaster THE MARRYING MAN. For Marsha Mason, well, there was the tragedy of Joan Hackett's untimely death, one Clint Eastwood movie in which most of her part was cut out, and a welcome return to the big screen last year in BRIDE AND PREJUDICE |
| Rating | | | Date | August 22, 2005 | | Summary | The Goodbye Girl | Content
| Beyond Neil Simon's sharp, knowing script, both Dreyfuss and Mason are winning in their roles (so much so that the actor took home an Oscar that year). The adorable Quinn Cummings more than holds her own as Mason's wisecracking daughter. Funny and touching both, you could not find a better feel good movie. Appropriate for older kids. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 25, 2004 | | Summary | Dreyfuss as Richard III? | Content
| Ever since I learned that Richard Dreyfuss had won the Best Actor Academy Award for his role as Elliot Garfield in The Goodbye Girl, it had been added to my "must-see" list. I just saw it last night and, like many Neil Simon films, it has its ups and downs. When her live-in actor boyfriend Tony leaves for Italy, out-of-work dancer Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason, who was married to Simon and would eventually act in six of his films) is left alone, again, with her 10-year-old daughter Lucy (Quinn Cummings). What she didn't know is that, before leaving and since the lease was in his name, Tony had sublet their apartment to someone else: struggling Chicago actor Elliot Garfield, just in town for his New York premiere as Richard III. After a lengthy set of arguments, they come to an arrangement: they will share the apartment. The Goodbye Girl is a romantic comedy so, of course, Paula and Elliot spend the first half of the movie at each other's throat (before coming together at the end) while Lucy delivers the film's best lines and is, in general, adorably charming. Cummings probably gives the film's most engaging performance. Mason is good, but her sharp features left me wondering what the attraction was, although the bearded and bespectacled Dreyfuss is no catch, either. (It is apparent that the cast was chosen for their acting ability and not their matinee idol looks.) And now Dreyfuss: did he deserve the Oscar over Woody Allen (Annie Hall), Richard Burton (Equus), Marcello Mastroianni (A Special Day), and John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever)? I'm torn but tend to lean toward the positive, not based on his entire performance, but on specific moments when I went "wow" like when Paula and Lucy go to see him after the opening of Richard III. Every bit of that scene comes through his eyes and facial expression. He doesn't say a word and, probably because of that, my eyes were riveted to him. For the rest, just imagine Hooper from Jaws in love; Dreyfuss usually plays himself. Although I can certainly imagine that Jason Alexander's performance as George on Seinfeld owes more than a little to Dreyfuss' 1970s film persona, especially here. Neil Simon stories are generally uneven and The Goodbye Girl is no exception. When he is writing comedy, there is no one better. Unfortunately, he likes to insert moments of drama in his plays, as well, and, after laughing so much, the absence of it is very noticeable. I found myself slowly losing interest toward the end as the romance developed. I'm not intrigued by watching two very ordinary-looking people kissing, and there is at least one intense scene of that alone. Also, Lucy became less prominent as the romance was played out, and that is a loss. And the last quarter of simply didn't have room to be funny. Surprisingly enough, even though The Goodbye Girl is one of the few Simon movies not based on a Broadway play, it feels like one: it takes place almost entirely in one location, and the actors (particularly Dreyfuss) often descend to extreme gestures. I can't imagine watching it again, but I think people should see it, especially actors, if just to watch Dreyfuss play Richard III as a mincing gay man. It's offensive in the best way. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 22, 2004 | | Summary | "I don't - like - the panties - hanging - on - the rod!" | Content
| In 1977, movie theater audiences were treated to what is probably Neil Simon's best writing with the film "The Goodbye Girl". Directed by Herbert Ross (1927-2001, who later directed "Steel Magnolias" in 1989), the film stars Richard Dreyfuss as the aspiring actor Elliot Garfield, Marsha Mason as former dancer Paula McFadden and Quinn Cummings as Paula's 10-year old daughter Lucy. The film begins with Paula and Lucy returning to their New York City apartment from a long day of shopping. They are preparing to move to California with Paula's boyfriend, Tony Deforest (not shown), who is another aspiring actor that just got an acting job in a Hollywood film. Upon getting home, Tony isn't there, but she finds a note that he left for her. The note is not what Paula wanted or expected to hear: Tony left without her and Lucy. Paula learns from building manager Mrs. Crosby (Theresa Merritt, 1924-1998) the next morning that loveable Tony did something else too: he sublet the apartment. Not having the money to move, Paula decides that she and Lucy will remain in the apartment. When the subletee arrives (Elliot), she reluctantly agrees to share the apartment with him. The resulting mutually antagonistic relationship slowly evolves into something quite different. For his work in "The Goodbye Girl", Richard Dreyfuss won the much deserved Oscar for Best Actor. Marsha Mason was nominated for Best Actress and Quinn Cummings was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The film itself was nominated for Best Picture and Neil Simon was nominated for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Some of the very memorable scenes in the film include Paula & Lucy's arrival home at the beginning of the film, Elliot's arrival, the living arrangements, Elliot's rehearsals, Paula's exercises, Lucy's stomachache, Elliot's alternate employment, the Chianti, the rooftop dinner, the carriage ride and the closing scenes. Other memorable characters include Elliot's off-Broadway director Mark (Paul Benedict, known for his portrayal of Harry Bentley in the 1975-1985 TV series "The Jeffersons") and Donna Douglas (Barbara Rhoades). Overall, I rate the 1977 version of "The Goodbye Girl" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. It's a wonderfully engaging film that continues to entertain to this day. The 2004 television remake that starred Jeff Daniels as Elliot and Patricia Heaton as Paula was not anywhere as good as the original. |
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