The Goodbye Girl [Blu-ray]

Overview

Marsha Mason is known as "The Goodbye Girl" because of all the live-in boyfriends who have said ta-ta to her in the past few years. A former Broadway chorus dancer, the divorced Mason lives in the Manhattan apartment of her latest lost love with her daughter Quinn Cummings. Enter arrogant actor Richard Dreyfuss, who has subleased the apartment from Mason's former boyfriend and moves in bag and baggage in the middle of the night. Dreyfuss and Mason spend the next few weeks getting in each other's way and fighting like cats and dogs. The wind is taken out of Dreyfuss' sails when he opens in a production of Richard III, which has been sabotaged by the director (Paul Benjamin), who insists that Dreyfuss portrays Richard as a hip-swinging homosexual. The play closes after one performance, and the once-overconfident Dreyfuss goes on a self-pitying drunken binge. Touched by his vulnerability, Mason begins falling in love with Dreyfuss despite her lousy track record with men. Richard Dreyfuss became the youngest ever "Best Actor" Oscar winner as a result of his performance.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/08/2016
UPC:	0888574453145
Original Release:	1977
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:50:00
Sales rank:	523

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Richard Dreyfuss	Elliott Garfield
Marsha Mason	Paula McFadden
Quinn Cummings	Lucy McFadden
Paul Benedict	Mark Morgenweiss
Barbara Rhoades	Donna Douglas
Theresa Merritt	Mrs. Crosby
Michael Shawn	Ronnie
Patricia Pearcy	Rhonda Fontana
Nicol Williamson	Oliver Frye
Gene Castle	Assistant Choreographer
Daniel Levans	Dance Instructor
Marilyn Sokol	Linda
Anita Dangler	Mrs. Morganweiss
Victoria Boothby	Mrs. Bodine
Robert Costanzo	Liquor Store Salesman
Poncho Gonzales	Mugger
Jose Machado	Mugger
Hubert Kelly	Mugger
Dana Laurita	Cynthia
David Cass	Drunk
Esther Sutherland	Strip Club Manager
Loyita Chapel	Strip Club Dancer
Caprice Clarke	Strip Club Dancer
Clarence Felder	Critic
Kensuke Haga	Japanese Salesman
Ryokei Kanokogi	Japanese Salesman
Ruby Holbrook	Woman in Audience
Kristina Hurrell	Gretchen
David Matthau	Furniture Mover
Milt Oberman	Furniture Mover
Eddie Villery	Painter
Joseph Carberry	Strip Club Customer
Eric Uhler	Strip Club Customer
Ray Barry	'Richard III' Cast Member,Richard III Cast
Munson Hicks	'Richard III' Cast Member
Robert Kerman	'Richard III' Cast Member
Jeanne Lange	'Richard III' Cast Member
Robert Lesser	'Richard III' Cast Member
Fred McCarren	'Richard III' Cast Member
Nicholas Mele	'Richard III' Cast Member
Maureen Moore	'Richard III' Cast Member
Joe Regalbuto	'Richard III' Cast Member
Peter Vogt	'Richard III' Cast Member
Wendy Cutler	Improv Group Member
Susan Elliott	Improv Group Member
Andy Goldberg	Improv Group Member
Paul Willson	Improv Group Member
Powers Boothe	Richard III Cast
Tom Everett	Richard III Cast
Janice Fuller	Richard III Cast
Dave Grusin	Composer

Technical Credits

Neil Simon

Herbert Ross	Director
Neil Simon	Screenwriter
Ray Stark	Producer
Al Griswold	Special Effects
Raymond Stark	Producer
Jerry Jost	Sound/Sound Designer
William McCaughey	Sound/Sound Designer
James Sabat	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

With a witty screenplay by Neil Simon and an excellent cast, The Goodbye Girl (1977) had the pieces in place for an utterly appealing romantic comedy. Lightly directed by Herbert Ross, Simon's apartment-sharing scenario uniting a wary single mother with a struggling actor finds the humor in a quintessentially contemporary milieu of serial relationships, commitment-phobia, and New York real estate. Then-wife of Simon, Marsha Mason revealed her talent for comedy as well as dramatic emotion in her performance as the gun-shy Paula, while newcomer Quinn Cummings was charmingly self-assured as her young daughter, Lucy. Rising star Richard Dreyfuss' Elliott was both broadly hilarious playing an ill-conceived Richard III and charmingly sensitive as a romantic lead. Greeted as a straightforward piece of joyful escapism, The Goodbye Girl became an unexpected hit, and earned several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Screenplay. Ross was nominated for directing The Turning Point (1977) instead. The 29-year-old Dreyfuss took home the Best Actor statuette, becoming the youngest winner of the award.

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola