The Goodbye Girl (1977)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Neil Simon (written by)

Release Date:

1 February 1978 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Thank you Neil Simon for making us laugh at falling in love...again.

Plot:

After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Actor | Daughter | Dancer | Love

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 9 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Elliot Garfield
Marsha Mason	...	Paula McFadden
Quinn Cummings	...	Lucy McFadden
Paul Benedict	...	Mark
Barbara Rhoades	...	Donna
Theresa Merritt	...	Mrs. Crosby
Michael Shawn	...	Ronnie
Patricia Pearcy	...	Rhonda
Gene Castle	...	Assistant Choreographer
Daniel Levans	...	Dance Instructor
Marilyn Sokol	...	Linda
Anita Dangler	...	Mrs. Morganweiss
Victoria Boothby	...	Mrs. Bodine
Robert Costanzo	...	Liquor Store Salesman
Pancho González	...	Mugger (as Poncho Gonzalez)

Also Known As:

Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Richard Dreyfuss won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role as Elliot Garfield. At 29, he was the youngest actor to win this Oscar. This record was broken by Adrien Brody when he won the Best Actor Oscar in 2003 for his lead role in The Pianist (2002)

Goofs:

Continuity: When chasing the thieves, Paula drops three items that disappear in the next cut.

Quotes:

Elliot Garfield: I am a dedicated actor, Paula, you know? I am dedicated to my art and my craft, I value what I do. And because of a mentally arthritic director, I am about to play the second greatest role in the history of the English-speaking theater like a fresh double-order of California fruit salad.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Married with Children: The Goodbye Girl (#6.22)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

How About You? (I Like New York in June)

Gives you a warm glow

Simply my favourite movie of all time. First saw it with my fiancee (at the time) and it was her favourite also. We saw it 3 times. Whenever it is on TV I watch, and I have two video copies (in case one gets lost or spoiled!).

It stars Richard Dreyfuss at his best, and Marsha Mason and the "kid" are excellent too. Perhaps it is one of the best of films because it is able to make you laugh and cry, and sometimes at the same time. Neil Simon's writing is so comic and never allows the pathos to drown you. I believe it won a number of Oscars when first released yet almost no one I rave to about it has ever heard of it. Strange!

This film is very much under-appreciated. It is a wonderful tale of of family, of career, of relationships and of love. The rooftop scene is just fantastic and leaves a knot in my stomach every time I see it. A warm glow and a feeling of "this is how life should turn out". Great movie, great script. Fantastic.