The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

There are many things this film does really well.First of all, the acting is superb throughout. Grodin is brilliant as ever in a very demanding, heavy acting responsibility - had he been average at it, the film easily loses heaps of its ability. Jeannie Berlin (the wife) does really well, as does Eddie Albert (the father) and for a 22 year old beaut youngster Cybill Shepherd is solid also.Next: this isn't a generic superficial comedy. It's got that peculiar element about it. The humor isn't easy over-the-counter drivel, it's in fact uneasy, almost awkward and difficult to digest. It's about the little annoying details with people, invading personal space, being pathetic without noticing it...in a very real way, all of those things !Finally, the film holds up very nicely in its one hour forty-five minute frame, with not one moment too many or too few, has a well thought out structure to it that isn't obvious at first, and there's this sort of itchy, awkward anti-morality morality at the end of it that is just as weirdly charming and anti-heroic as its main character.8/10.

Almost from the onset we can tell that Lenny and Lila are not meant to be. An early shot reveals that perhaps it was only the promise of sex that made Lenny agree to the marriage. On day one of the honeymoon period, they are happily bellowing The Carpenters from their car and cheering about Miami Beach. By day two they are practically screaming and yelling at each other. Jeannie Berlin plays the dopey, overexcited bride; they have just tied the knot and she is already preparing for their golden oldies, and he's tilting his head around the corner, looking back on what he left behind. May taps into a Jewish type homeliness that Berlin immediately takes on board. Watch Lila devour an egg-salad sandwich without the least bit of concern about her appearance, and see Lenny cringe on the spot and re-evaluate his whole life. His new wife is pretty, though a little big-nosed, and can't hold a candle to the angelic WASP beauty that approaches him during their honeymoon. Just compare them physically, which is what Lenny does right away. She is a young Cybill Shephard, who seems to descend down from the heavens themselves into Lenny's eyeline. Because his wife is lying in their hotel like a wrinkly bright red prune, he is immediately taken to her like a teenager who catches a pretty schoolgirl's eye is. Every word out of Kelly's mouth is the gospel, her laugh is like a newborn baby's first. And all the while he is rushing into the room and rushing out half dressed, spinning another unlikely story to Lila. Grodin has the uncanny ability to seem so sincere, so self-righteous. He is an early Woody Allen prototype, so when he is accused of something he rightly knows he is guilty of, he explodes defensively, getting mightily offended that she would even suggest such a thing. He does the same thing in perhaps the funniest scene in the film, where he tentatively breaks the news of divorce to his wife of five days. If she would have a little pecan pie before the bad news she will be okay, Lenny thinks, so he is furious when the restaurant has run out. Without even thinking, he frames the talk as though it is he that is making the sacrifice here, setting her free so she can chase her dreams or whatnot. Lila is of course too naive, too innocent, which forces the excruciating words out of Lenny's mouth. So while the poor girl is basically hyperventilating, he has already swept clean his conscience and moved on, thinking himself having done the right thing. Ah, the pecan pie arrives just in time for the sobbing ex-wife, a piece of brilliant comedic timing. "You gonna eat the pie? You want a little piece of pie?" prods Lenny, as if dessert will solve everything. The film is mightily funny because Grodin plays Lenny completely and unrelentingly straight. He believes sincerely in every phony and god-given word that comes out of his mouth, and has a determination only matched by his stupidity. We sense that Kelly is used to dangling men on her arm; she has a whole posse around her everywhere she prances in college, and can even persuade her father to do things he would never dream of doing. Before Lenny she has never been approached and propositioned by someone so straightforward, so without shame. Only by sheer persistence can he replicate the same fling from the sun-kissed Miami beaches to snowy Minnesota.The genius of Grodin's performance is that he does not see himself as doing any wrong, and this gives him the false confidence to wreak havoc no matter where he goes. When a schoolgirl smiles at those sideburns and teddy-bear locks of his, he gives a stupid, adolescent grin like Christmas has come early. And when he sees her naked for the first time, he blurts out a teenager's line. Lenny has the ability to say the most outrageous things with a straight face; "There's no lying in that beef," and so on. This is reminiscent of Chance the gardener in Being There, whose metaphoric life advice gave a wholesome country food for the soul. Mr Corcoran, the most sensible character here, sees right through him, and so do we, but because he is a teenager in love, he will go to the ends of the earth and then some to get want he wants. So we smash cut hilariously to the wedding, where an ecstatic Lenny has just gotten his gift. He wanders around, engages in some small talk, and then is left alone once again. His first marriage lasted all of five days, and now this one is already boring him during the ceremony! At times the actions of Lenny are cringe worthy, and it is hard to watch, but how engaging is it to see how far he can take it all. The film painfully and humorously reveals the depths that sheer will can take us.

For years, all I knew of this movie was who was involved in it: director Elaine May, screenwriter Neil Simon, author Bruce Jay Friedman (I was previously familiar with two of his '80s comedies I remember enjoying-Stir Crazy and Splash) and stars Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, and Eddie Albert. Oh, and also another player-Jeannie Berlin-is Ms. May's daughter. I also knew of the premise-Grodin marries Ms. Berlin, finds out she's not very appealing, dumps her after meeting Ms. Shepherd during their honeymoon, tries to get Ms. Shepherd's father-played by Albert-to approve of him for her and then...Well, I'll just say that this was both funny and a little painful to watch but it was mostly quite an enjoyable one to finally see for myself just how well put this was. So on that note, I highly recommend The Heartbreak Kid. Oh, and I just remembered that Audra Lindley-years before playing Helen Roper in "Three's Company"-is in this, too! Also, Doris Roberts-a couple of decades before her Emmy-wining role in "Everybody Loves Raymond"-plays Grodin's mother during the first-wedding sequence.

I had seen the Ben Stiller remake of this film before this original version, and I found out this original was in the book of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, so I had to see whether it deserved that inclusion. Basically Jewish New York sporting goods salesman Lenny Cantrow (Golden Globe nominated Charles Grodin) has just got married to fellow Jewish New Yorker Lila Kolodny (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Jeannie Berlin), and they setting off for a three day honeymoon in Miami. On the journey and arriving at the Doral Hotel on the beach he is becoming bothered by the smallest or most annoying aspects about his new wife, making him question whether it was mistake to marry her, so he makes numerous excuses to get away from her. Lenny thinks his marriage was a bad decision even more when he meets vacationing witty and gorgeous student Kelly Corcoran (Cybill Shepherd), so he makes even more excuses to Lila to spend time with this young woman. Eventually however he confesses to his wife that he does not want to be married anymore due to both this new love interest and because he has become impatient with her, it is unclear whether his new girl feels the same way but he is really keen to marry her following a divorce. Returning home and having divorced Kelly he knows that Lila is attending college in Minnesota, he knows that if he is going to go any further with her he should meet her parents, and he does not make a good impression with her overly protective and hostile father Mr. Corcoran (Oscar nominated Eddie Albert). It is an obstacle convincing the father to think well of him, but eventually Lenny is accepted by the family and he is allowed to marry Kelly, and this time it is really a happy wedding for him and her equally. Also starring Audra Lindley as Mrs. Corcoran, William Prince as Colorado Man, Augusta Dabney as Colorado Woman, Mitchell Jason as Cousin Ralph, Art Metrano as Entertainer, Marilyn Putnam as Mrs. Kolodny, Jack Hausman as Mr. Kolodny and Doris Roberts as Mrs. Cantrow. Grodin is reasonably good fun as the easily irritated newlywed husband, Berlin is funny constantly being needy and annoying, Shepherd is nice enough as the new love interest, and from what I remember Albert is fine as the bigoted father of the new love interest. The story does not have a build up before the wedding, there is not much slapstick, it seems a bit more serious, and there were some nice love story moments, I will be honest and say that I preferred the remake, but I supposed I can see it as a near must see romantic drama. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. It was number 91 on 100 Years, 100 Laughs. Worth watching!