Modern Romance (1981)

Albert Brooks character is a likable and despicable person, all at the same time. As a film editor, he is brilliant. He is very deflecting and agreeable, going along and getting along with all his colleagues. There are some hilarious "Hollywood insider" moments between himself and his producer. He is very proud of what editing he has done to make his movie more thought provoking to the audience. However, his producer wants everything totally catered to what he believes the public wants.In his personal life, he is completely crazy. He breaks up with his lover, because he thinks that's what society wants. He doesn't want to break up with her, but he has to. Quickly, he realizes that he made a mistake, and crazily spends his time trying to win her back. There are some hilarious scenes. He goes to a sporting goods store and ends up spending a fortune on running gear. He goes to a local track and runs ten feet, before running to the nearest phone booth to call his lover. He goes to a thrifty store and buys all these tacky gifts there to win his lover back. Amazingly, it works. He becomes insanely jealous over her meeting at a restaurant with Japanese businessman.In the end, it is clear that Brooks' character is a man who can't be alone. He is a victim of the romantic notion that lovers have to spend 100% of their time being in love with each other. He is insanely jealous and extremely possessive of his lover. His lover is clearly in great pain and suffering, but he can't let go of her, because that's what society says is demanded of in a modern relationship. The only downside is that the movie is dated. In addition, the movie was a little uneven, and trying to do a lot. However, this can be forgiven, because it is a very good comedy.

Mr.Popularity Petey.Virtually every line out of his mouth in this movie is a gem, and a good amount of everyone else's. The old man at the phone, "he's there now isn't he, oh please I wasn't born yesterday!" Or Al's brother Dave in the sport shop, "What are you 5'11?", "I misjudged you, go with the box"And the song lyrics on the radio when he's driving around, "She's out of my life", "God only knows what I'd be without you" "And then along comes Mary"And just the true angst that men put themselves through, when the blood rushes to their genitals and they can't think straight, and come up with unfounded jealousy. I just copped the DVD from ebay for 11.98 door to door.....An unsung classic of American cinema and his best work by far......

To me, placing the phrase "great work" with the name "Albert Brooks," when citing one of his films, is redundant. I can say I liked this film a bit more than "Lost in America," which I liked slightly more than "The Muse," which I would place slightly ahead of "Defending Your Life," but starting with a rating of 100 out of 100 - I'd have to go to about 8 decimal places to differentiate among them. If Woody Allen is the "Stephen Hawking" of making movies with neuroses as a main theme, and usually portrayed by characters he plays as well as directs, then Albert Brooks is the "Albert Einstein" of the same. (I actually thought of this comparison before recalling that, ironically, Mr. Brooks birth name is the same as that of the renowned scientist.) Wathching Brooks' Robert Cole character cope with one neurotic experience after another in this film, and his interaction with an outstanding supporting cast, provides 93 minutes of non-stop entertainment in a manner available in few other films (or entertainment offerings in any other media).

This is a depressingly shallow, naive and mostly unfunny look at a wildly improbable relationship between Brooks' psychotic film editor and Harold, his vapid girlfriend. The two have ZERO chemistry together - primarily because Harold is incapable of doing anything besides looking pretty at this stage of her career; but also because Brooks' character is neither interesting nor likeable. There are 15 static, excruciating minutes at the beginning where Brooks, having just broke up with Harold, stumbles about his apartment in a depressed, drugged out state - unbearable.Sappily and unimaginatively bookended by Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful", there simply is not enough material here for a feature film. There is hardly anything going on on the periphery of their relationship to give the appearance that these people exist in a real world. I'm sure Brooks' intention was to shine a white hot spotlight on the affair and, in a way, deconstruct it; but if you're going to do that the writing and acting needs to be far far better than what it is here.