Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing

Director: Alan J. Pakula Alan J. Pakula

Overview

A touching tale of love between misfits, this is the story of a lonely spinster with a terminal illness and a college drop-out with family problems who meet and fall in love. This film is sensitively handled with a subtlety not usually found in this type of movie.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/01/2013
UPC:	0043396418776
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	PG
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Sales rank:	48,574

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Maggie Smith	LIla Fisher
Timothy Bottoms	Walter Elbertson
Don Jaime De Mora Y Aragon	The Duke
Emiliano Redondo	The Spanish Gentleman
Charles Baxter	Dr. Elbertson
Margaret Modlin	Mrs. Elbertson,Dr. Edelheidt
May Heatherly	Melanie Elbertson
Lloyd Brimhall	Carl
Andres Monreal	Tourist Guide

Technical Credits

Alan J. Pakula

Director,Producer

Editorial Reviews

There's so much that works in Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing that it's a shame the film runs off its rails in the last third. Up until that point, director Alan J. Pakula and screenwriter Alvin Sargent have created an endearing, funny, bittersweet romance that, while it doesn't really break any new territory and holds few surprises, is enormously pleasing. The creators treat us to the familiar sight of two misfits coming to realize that they were meant for each other; it's so rarely true in life, but when granted such careful handling, makes for a lovely film. Sargent gives his couple all the right kind of quirks and lets them spout lines that win the audience over with ease. And then it all goes awry when the film decides to take a page out of Love Story. Things never recover after that, but even so, there's enough good that has come beforehand to make Pain worth seeing. And despite the plot twists, nothing stops the indomitable Maggie Smith, turning in another performance that is nothing short of delicious. As her partner, Timothy Bottoms has to struggle to keep up, but he manages to do a more than decent job.