Only When I Laugh

R

Now Playing

2 hr. 0 min.

Comedy

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

63%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Actress Georgia (Marsha Mason) gets out of treatment for alcohol addiction, only to be greeted by a host of interpersonal problems. Her two best friends are dragging her down with their self-involvement, but her friends are the least of her worries. Stress levels skyrocket when Georgia's angst-ridden teenager, Polly (Kristy McNichol), needs a place to live, and her ex-husband (David Dukes) pressures her to star in a new film that spills secrets about their defunct relationship.

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Michael H

One of my childhood favorites. Completely changed from a serious comedy. To a very serious film with light-hearted moments. Tragic-Comedy with a devastating performance from Marsha Mason, she shines even brighter here than in The Goodbye Girl, who's holding on too hard and naturally relapses. Maybe because her ex-Beau, playwright (David Dukes) introduces his new Girlfriend. We see on Mason's face her joyous optimism slowly crumble into her abyss of dreadful endings, she puts on a brave face, a performance of 'I'm so happy for you both' - then her bestie, Toby cancels her fortieth birthday bash cause her husband is leaving her and her other bestie, James Coco gets fired from the first acting gig he's had in years. Everything is falling apart around her except her strong, emotionally intelligent, wiser beyond her years, held together by her loss of time with Mom and her guilt daughter, played by Kristie McNichol. The supporting players are all wonderful especially Joan Hackett as the uptown, watching herself cause no one will, holding to her beauty like Mason holding on to her sobriety -it's going crumble, weighs herself like gold and silver, never lets anyone see anything but perfection, is the one who puts Georgia on the path of 'try...try better' - See the good in your life. Only When I Laugh has been the inspiration for lots of later films and Tv shows.-It's the finest film work of Marsha Mason who is Harrowing at the same time wickedly funny and at times manic but always grounded...in a more hopeful, redemptive future. Not always her own....with her daughter and her best friends.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

jon c

It's only when we laugh that we do things that seem odd or reconcilable Marsha Mason and Kristy McNichol are both imperfect mother and daughter Georgia is an alcoholic Broadway actress who tries to stay sober, while dealing with the problems of her teenaged daughter, Polly and her friends: a vain woman who fears the loss of her looks, and a gay actor relegated to small roles in third-rate shows Even Polly sees her folks' marriage straining as if Georgia doesn't have enough on her plate facing her own seniority Both women have terrific chemistry as mother and daughter Polly doesn't want to give up on her mom despite the hell she put her through growing up Heck any parent this flawed still has some growing up to do themselves This is based on a stage play so the narrative format isn't as traditional as you would expect All it takes for a somewhat broken family unit is to try and correct themselves first

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

steve d

I for one, never laughed.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Overlong and flatly directed, Neil Simon's own adaptation of his play 'The Gingerbread Lady' is redeemed by fine performances (not least Marsha Mason as the alcoholic Broadway star trying to get her act together) and a strangely poignant snapshot of New York in the early eighties, when everyone smoked, indulged in therapies and dressed abominably.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

one neil simon's best efforts I think

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Lesser Neil Simon dramedy with a fine performance from Marsha Mason. The problem is that her character is so selfish it's difficult to sympathize with her, since she's the focus of the piece that's vital. The result is that you feel detached from the proceedings. Joan Hackett gives her customarily excellent performance for which she was Oscar nominated but the part isn't award worthy. Still since this was her final feature film role before her death it nice that she was so honored for her many years of work.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Glenn Jordan

Director

Marsha Mason

Georgia

Kristy McNichol

Polly

James Coco

Jimmy

Joan Hackett

Toby

David Dukes

David

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Rated: 1/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...improves steadily (and substantially) as it progresses...

Rated: 2.5/4

May 8, 2022

Full Review

Diego Galán

El Pais (Spain)

The insipid script is saved by a splendid cast. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 23, 2019

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Neil Simon reworked his play Gingerbread Lady for this tale of alcoholic actress (real wife Marsha Mason) and precocious daughter, but the result is just as stagy, schmaltzy and predictable, with the expected witty but utterly theatrical one-liners.

Rated: C-

Jan 11, 2008

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Sep 8, 2005

Full Review

Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

Belabored Neil Simon script with Marsha Mason.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 13, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

Actress Georgia (Marsha Mason) gets out of treatment for alcohol addiction, only to be greeted by a host of interpersonal problems. Her two best friends are dragging her down with their self-involvement, but her friends are the least of her worries. Stress levels skyrocket when Georgia's angst-ridden teenager, Polly (Kristy McNichol), needs a place to live, and her ex-husband (David Dukes) pressures her to star in a new film that spills secrets about their defunct relationship.

Director: Glenn Jordan
Screenwriter: Neil Simon
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Rastar Films
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 25, 2010

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