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The Goodbye Girl | Year: 1977 Classification: Comedy Directed: - Herbert Ross Actors/Actresses: - Richard Dreyfuss - Marsha Mason Dreyfuss as Richard III? 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 acto "I don't - like - the panties - hanging - on - the rod!" 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. Very Good! The original Goodbye Girl movie is a very good movie and Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss are great as Paula and Elliot and I recommend this movie very highly! I watched the remake on TNT and it isn't as good as the original but as far as remakes go I actually thought it was pretty good which is mainly because of the good performance from Patricia Heaton as Paula. Okay, I prefer Marsha Mason as Paula because I was a kid when I saw that movie in a movie theater and grew up watching that version over the years on HBO but Patricia Heaton was good and though not as good as Quinn Cummings was as Paula's daughter Lucy I think Hallie Kate Eisenberg gave a good performance. Jeff Daniels who is a superb actor was good as Elliot but Richard Dreyfuss was just a little better because of his inspired, energetic performance but though I like the remake I prefer this original version. Buy The Goodbye Girl at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  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