Best Friends (1982 film)

Last updated
Best Friends
Best Friends (film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Norman Jewison
Written by Valerie Curtin
Barry Levinson
Produced byNorman Jewison
Patrick Palmer
Starring
Cinematography Jordan Cronenweth
Edited by Don Zimmerman
Music by Michel Legrand
Production
company
Timberlane Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • December 17, 1982 (1982-12-17)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15-19 million [1] [2]
Box office$36.8 million

Best Friends is a 1982 American romantic comedy film starring Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. It is based on the true story of the relationship between its writers Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin. The film was directed by Norman Jewison.

Contents

Plot

Richard Babson and Paula McCullen are a couple of Hollywood screenwriters who have lived and worked together for a number of years. Richard desperately wants to get married, but Paula does not feel the need.

Having just written a film script for producer Larry Weissman, the couple decides to get married without letting anyone else know. Paula can tell it is important to Richard, so she reluctantly agrees.

They are wed in a Los Angeles marriage bureau and decide to travel cross-country by train to inform their parents back East about what they have done as their honeymoon.

The first stop is Buffalo, New York, in the brutal winter by Paula's parents. Eleanor and Tim McCullen are old-fashioned, so Paula informs Richard that they will need to sleep in separate beds. Richard is frustrated by the frigid weather about being treated like a child and the frigid climate.

From there they go to Virginia to visit Richard's parents, who reside in a giant high-rise condominium. No window is ever opened there, and Paula, feeling increasing panic attacks, is in dire need of some fresh air. She accidentally overdoses on Valium and is hospitalized.

The Babsons excitedly believe that Paula and Richard are engaged but devastated to learn that they are married. They throw a party at a restaurant, where Paula is upset by the comments of guests.

Paula and Richard are barely on speaking terms when Larry Weissman shows up, desperate for pages of a script rewrite. Paula insists that they return home to California immediately, but once there, their personal and professional relationship has soured.

Larry locks them in a room, where the writers bicker and get no work done. Paula again demands fresh air until Richard breaks a window. When they finally talk it through, they are in agreement that getting married might not have been the best idea. They finish the rewrite and then walk off into the sunset, which turns out to be a Hollywood prop.

Cast

In addition, Valerie Curtin, who wrote the film's screenplay with husband Barry Levinson (they divorced the year it was released), has an uncredited cameo as Paula's friend sitting in a playpen.

Production

Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin wrote the screenplay based on their relationship. They had made And Justice for All (1979) with Norman Jewison and showed him a copy of the script. Jewison felt the draft had problems but was persuaded to make it by Goldie Hawn who read the script and was enthusiastic. [3]

"I had been impressed with her talent ever since Sugarland Express ," said Jewison. "I thought she was one of the most honest performers, so I said, 'If you'll do it, I'll do it'." [3]

Hawn later said her part was "probably my most mature role" to date. [4]

They decided together on Burt Reynolds as costar. "My instinct was that we should have star chemistry, like Cary Grant and Carole Lombard, like I had on The Thomas Crown Affair , with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway." [3]

There were six weeks of filming in New York State, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., then the unit shifted to Los Angeles.

Jewison said he "took my time" with the film. "I made it very carefully, indeed...I had a wonderful time making the film and I haven't seen such good chemistry between leading players since I made The Thomas Crown Affair." [1]

Songs

The film's theme song "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?", was composed by Michel Legrand with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. In the film, the song (performed by Patti Austin and James Ingram) is first heard as Richard and Paula return to Los Angeles after their honeymoon and then heard during the closing credits. How Do You Keep the Music Playing? was nominated for an Academy Award and has become a popular standard and recorded by Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Jean, Scherrie & Lynda of The Supremes and Shirley Bassey. Another song by the same songwriters and performers, "Think About Love," is played during a montage of the train journey.

Reception

Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote that the plot "sounds like a series of fairly predictable scenes. But they're redeemed by the writing and acting." [5] Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated that Reynolds and Hawn made "a surprisingly appealing team, the surprise being that two individually stellar comic actors can work so comfortably together. Each of them works on a lower wattage than usual, since the emphasis here is on friendliness, rather than on madcap joking." [6] Variety called it "a very engaging film...Even if it is initially jarring to accept Hawn and Reynolds as screenwriters, they are thoroughly believable as two people struggling to make their relationship work. Hawn especially has kept her customary kookiness in check and conveys her character's plight with maturity and charm." [7] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called the film "exceptionally authentic and endearing...I suppose Reynolds and Hawn have certainly enjoyed showier showcasing, but it should do them no harm at all to be recognized as a likably self-effacing romantic comedy team in a new romantic comedy of rare sweetness and intelligence." [8]

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times was less enthused, writing that the film "quickly proves to be the familiar instance of the comedy that presents its central figures in the round only to satirize heavily all the peripheral people, most of whom are weighed down in shtick." [9] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two stars out of four and asked "Who wants to see such upbeat performers as Hawn and Reynolds bitch at each other for nearly two hours? The casting is wrong here." [10] Pauline Kael of The New Yorker wrote "The script probably reads fine, but it plays all wrong. The dialogue is too neatly worked out; there's no way to speak it without making us aware of how clever it is—how flip yet knowing." [11]

The film has a score of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews. [12]

Box office

The film opened on 1,062 screens and grossed $4,022,891 for the weekend to finish in fourth place behind Tootsie , The Toy and The Dark Crystal . [13]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Original Song "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"
Music by Michel Legrand;
Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman 		Nominated [14]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Goldie Hawn Nominated [15]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Gelbart</span> American comedy writer and playwright (1928–2009)

Larry Simon Gelbart was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series M*A*S*H, and as co-writer of the Broadway musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and City of Angels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldie Hawn</span> American actress (born 1945)

Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Cactus Flower (1969).

<i>Tootsie</i> 1982 film directed by Sydney Pollack

Tootsie is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy film directed by Sydney Pollack from a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal and a story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. It stars Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, and Charles Durning. In the film, Michael Dorsey (Hoffman), a talented actor with a reputation for being professionally difficult, runs into romantic trouble after adopting a female persona to land a job.

<i>...And Justice for All</i> (film) 1979 film by Norman Jewison

...And Justice for All is a 1979 American legal drama film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Al Pacino, Jack Warden and John Forsythe. Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Lahti, Craig T. Nelson, Thomas Waites and Sam Levene appear in supporting roles. The Oscar-nominated screenplay is written by Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson. It was filmed in Baltimore, including the courthouse area. It received two Academy Award nominations: Best Actor (Pacino) and Best Original Screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burt Reynolds</span> American actor (1936–2018)

Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was an American actor, most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. Reynolds first became known well as a result of featuring in television series, such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966), and Dan August (1970–1971). He had leading roles in films, such as Navajo Joe (1966) and 100 Rifles (1969), and his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972).

<i>Private Benjamin</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by Howard Zieff

Private Benjamin is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Howard Zieff, written by Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer, and Harvey Miller, and starring Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, and Armand Assante.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Levinson</span> American filmmaker

Barry Lee Levinson is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for Rain Man (1988). His other best-known works are Diner (1982), The Natural (1984), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Bugsy (1991), and Wag the Dog (1997). In 2021, he co-executive produced the Hulu miniseries Dopesick and directed the first two episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Benjamin</span> American actor and film director

Richard Samuel Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of well-known films, including Goodbye, Columbus (1969), Catch-22 (1970), Portnoy's Complaint (1972), Westworld, The Last of Sheila and Saturday the 14th (1981). In 1968, Benjamin was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance on the CBS sitcom He & She, which aired from 1967-1968. In 1976, Benjamin received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture for his performance as aged vaudevillian Willy Clark's comedically long-suffering nephew, confidant and talent agent, Ben Clark, in Herbert Ross' The Sunshine Boys (1975), based on Neil Simon's 1972 hit stage play of the same name. After directing for television, his first film as a director was the 1982 comedy My Favorite Year, starring Peter O'Toole, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. His other films as a director include City Heat (1984), The Money Pit (1986), My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), Mermaids (1990), Made in America (1993), Milk Money (1994), Mrs. Winterbourne (1996), and Marci X (2003).

<i>Seems Like Old Times</i> (film) 1980 film by Jay Sandrich

Seems Like Old Times is a 1980 American comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, and Charles Grodin, directed by Jay Sandrich and written by Neil Simon. It was the only theatrical film directed by Sandrich, who was best known for his television sitcom directing work. It follows Nick Gardenia, a writer who is forced to rob a bank and becomes a fugitive, leaving him to seek help from his ex-wife Glenda Parks, a public defender. Her current husband, Ira Parks, is the Los Angeles County district attorney, who harbors a jealous disdain towards Nick.

<i>Nickelodeon</i> (film) 1976 film by Peter Bogdanovich

Nickelodeon is a 1976 American comedy film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and stars Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds and Tatum O'Neal. According to Bogdanovich, the film was based on true stories told to him by silent film directors Allan Dwan and Raoul Walsh. It was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival.

Valerie Curtin is an American actress and screenwriter.

<i>Theres a Girl in My Soup</i> 1970 British film by Roy Boulting

There's a Girl in My Soup is a 1970 British romantic comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. It was written by Terence Frisby based on the 1966 stage play of the same name by Terence Frisby.

<i>The Man Who Loved Women</i> (1983 film) 1983 film by Blake Edwards

The Man Who Loved Women is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews and Kim Basinger. It is a remake of the 1977 François Truffaut's film L'Homme qui aimait les femmes.

<i>City Heat</i> 1984 film by Richard Benjamin

City Heat is a 1984 American buddy-crime comedy film starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, written by Blake Edwards and directed by Richard Benjamin. The film was released in North America in December 1984.

<i>Dollars</i> (film) 1971 film by Richard Brooks

$, also known as Dollar$, Dollars or $ (Dollars), and in the UK as The Heist, is a 1971 American heist comedy film starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn, written and directed by Richard Brooks and produced by M.J. Frankovich. The supporting cast includes Gert Fröbe, Robert Webber and Scott Brady. The film is about a bank security consultant (Beatty) who develops a scheme with a prostitute, Dawn Divine (Hawn), to steal several criminals' money from a bank vault.

<i>Wildcats</i> (film) 1986 film by Michael Ritchie

Wildcats is a 1986 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Goldie Hawn, James Keach and Swoosie Kurtz. It is the film debut of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.

<i>Bird on a Wire</i> (film) 1990 film by John Badham

Bird on a Wire is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by John Badham and starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn. Gibson portrays a man in the witness protection program who is unexpectedly reunited with his former girlfriend, played by Hawn, and both find themselves on the run. Critical reception was mixed, but the film was a box office hit.

<i>Rough Cut</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by Don Siegel

Rough Cut is a 1980 American heist film written by Larry Gelbart, directed by Don Siegel, and starring Burt Reynolds, Lesley-Anne Down and David Niven. It was based on the novel Touch the Lion's Paw (1975) by Derek Lambert.

<i>Stroker Ace</i> 1983 film by Hal Needham

Stroker Ace is a 1983 American action comedy sport film directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds as the eponymous Stroker Ace, a NASCAR driver.

<i>The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas</i> (film) 1982 film by Colin Higgins

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1982 American musical comedy film co-written, produced and directed by Colin Higgins. An adaptation of the 1978 Broadway musical of the same name, the film stars Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Jim Nabors, Charles Durning and Dom DeLuise.

References

  1. 1 2 JEWISON'S JOURNEY TO INNER SPACE Mann, Roderick. Los Angeles Times 2 Dec 1982: j1.
  2. ↑ "The Unstoppables". Spy. November 1988. p. 92.
  3. 1 2 3 A movie midwife's moments of terror, Scott, Jay. The Globe and Mail24 Dec 1982: E.1.
  4. ↑ Goldie Gets Serious, Thomson, David. Film Comment; New York Vol. 18, Iss. 6, (Nov/Dec 1982): 49-55,80.
  5. ↑ Ebert, Roger. "Best Friends". RogerEbert.com . Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ Maslin, Janet (December 17, 1982). "Film: 'Best Friends,' Marital Comedy". Archived 2019-04-25 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times . C10.
  7. ↑ "Film Reviews: Best Friends". Variety . December 15, 1982. 17.
  8. ↑ Arnold, Gary (December 16, 1982). "Warm and Winning 'Friends'". The Washington Post . C1, C19.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (December 16, 1982). "Reynolds, Hawn Give 'Friends' A Lift". Los Angeles Times . Part VI, p. 7.
  10. ↑ Siskel, Gene (December 17, 1982). "Movies: Goldie, Burt a bust as 'Best Friends'". Chicago Tribune . Section 3, p. 3.
  11. ↑ Kael, Pauline (January 24, 1983). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker . 95.
  12. ↑ "Best Friends". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  13. ↑ Ginsberg, Steven (December 21, 1982). "'Tootsie,' 'Toy' and 'Dark Crystal' Win Big at National Box-Office". Daily Variety . p. 1.
  14. ↑ "The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Best Friends". Golden Globe Awards. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  16. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees" (PDF). American Film Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.