The Goodbye Girl (2004)

This is a decent remake ...because it is just a great script...however there is a big gap in the quality of acting between original and remake...the remake actors are just OK...but watching the remake just shows how good the original actors really were...in particular Dreyfuss is a far better actor than jeff daniels...even the little girl, played by quinn cummings in the original, was significantly better...

I found this movie to be both unrealistic and unfunny. Patricia Heaton and Jeff Daniels made for one of the worst couples I've ever seen in a movie. There was poor chemistry between the two. I thought that the idea of these two people falling in love with each other was funnier then the film itself. Having said that, the lone highlight of the film is Hallie Kate Eisenberg as the young Lucy McFadden. She was the funniest aspect of this film. I also found Alan Cumming as the play director to be quite humorous. But the few laughs I had while watching this would not be enough to recommend this to anyone. This movie should not be meant for anything other than a bad Lifetime movie.

The little girl always seemed smarter and older than she really was. Her attitude bothered me. The only time that she acted like a ten year old was when she was crying. The character of Paula could have been a strong character but she seemed to depend on others to help her and to make her feel better, even her daughter. I did think it was funny. Especially the buffo part. I liked how fast the dialog went. Not to fast that it was hard to understand but not to slow either. One thing however that irked me was the fact that Jeff Daniels was naked behind a guitar. Ewww! Over all I felt that it was a pretty good movie and wouldn't mind watching it again.

Had I not seen the 1977 picture first, I would have gone into this with an open mind. However, I had, and it was completely dreadful. Somethings in life shouldn't be remade. I love the Dreyfuss/Mason version because it's a bittersweet film, meant for those who love either the actors at their best or the genre. Anyway.....I heard about this being made and I thought it wouldn't be too bad. I mean Patricia and Daniels are quite talented. Contrary to belief, this TV movie was gutter material with second rate acting. They put the actors with the wrong characters, so it all seemed trash. They placed Alan Cumming, a very talented actor, in a very underhanded and under minded role, so we rarely see him use his creative juices. Same with Daniels. Patricia,who one could have done without with her pathetic Albertsons ads, would have been almost bearable in another film. Leave the '77 masterpiece alone, don't kill it!