Romantic Comedy

PG

Released Oct 7, 1983

1h 43m

Romance

Comedy

List

29%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

42%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Playwright Jason Carmichael (Dudley Moore) meets teacher Phoebe Craddock (Mary Steenburgen) the day of his wedding to wealthy Allison St. James (Janet Eilber) and proposes a collaboration. Over the years, their comedies achieve success on Broadway, while Jason and Phoebe try to avoid following through on their mutual attraction. Frustrated with his failing marriage, Jacob begins an affair with actress Kate Mallory (Robyn Douglass), destroying both his professional and personal partnerships.

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Audience Member

I love this movie (of course I love Dudley moore) but it feels so real to me even the arguments and when she called him Oliver Twist 🥰

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

unlike the title this pic is neither comedy nor romance

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

definitely no arthur plot is pretty bland and boring after watching Dudley in arthur its hard to watch him and see his lack of humor but than again there was arthur II lol

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Mary Steenburgen is delightful in this otherwise bland adaptation of the hit Broadway play. It's a pleasant little Sunday afternoon sort of movie, but not a whole lot happens.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An uncomfortable, slow, and picky film; Dudley Moore tries to copy his success of Arthur with yet another movie songed romantic comedy, except instead of being a lovable drunk with a moral quandary he's an unlikable shrew. In comparison to his character is Mary Steenburgen, possibly the sweetest looking and sounding woman on the face of the earth. Moore's character is the only one who is truly fleshed out, and his is the one who is unlikable and seedy. Steenburgen is flighty and weak, supposedly a strong woman against Moore's bombastic curmudgeon. Instead they are both simply irritating and lank. They star as writing partners who go through years of family drama, insubordination, temper tantrums, and their own set of longwinded, nothing fights over irrelevant issues. Basically the film is about them not being together, but wanting to be together, but they fight and run away, acting like children with distorting psychological problems. Their antics are not entertaining, the characters are flat and petulant, and none of this is funny, per the title. The film even features a theme song from the same composer of Arthur, so it's obvious they were trying to make an unofficial sequel to the massive success and Oscar nominated fame of his first film. Moore is not a leading man, and cannot carry a film while playing a Hollywood fake. He is too crude and strange for that and should have relegated himself to outlandish performances with heart. Really there's nothing to this film, not even the guilty pleasure factor that comes from romantic comedies.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Although lacking in actual comedy it was sweet, romantic movie of two co-workers struggling with their feelings for one another. Great ending after some twists and turns.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

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Arthur Hiller

Director

Dudley Moore

Jason Carmichael

Mary Steenburgen

Phoebe Craddock

Frances Sternhagen

Blanche Dailey

Ron Leibman

Leo Janowitz

Robyn Douglass

Kate Mallory

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Imagine, if you can, that somebody has spliced together the out-takes from the worst Neil Simon movies.

Aug 3, 2021

Full Review

Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

As you watch this picture, the earth doesn't move. It doesn't even rumble. But Romantic Comedy, in its own bumbling way, scores a few laughs.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 3, 2021

Full Review

Diane Haithman

Detroit Free Press

Slade's touch is a little lighter than Neil Simon's, and there are enough little surprises in the plot to keep it from being repetitive or dull.

Rated: 6/10

Aug 3, 2021

Full Review

John Stark

San Francisco Examiner

You've seen this film before.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 3, 2021

Full Review

Frances Lass

Radio Times

A weak script and storyline...

Rated: 2/5

Aug 3, 2021

Full Review

Diego Galán

El Pais (Spain)

Romantic Comedy narrates the long and monotonous story of two theater writers. [Full Review in Spanish]

Feb 19, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Playwright Jason Carmichael (Dudley Moore) meets teacher Phoebe Craddock (Mary Steenburgen) the day of his wedding to wealthy Allison St. James (Janet Eilber) and proposes a collaboration. Over the years, their comedies achieve success on Broadway, while Jason and Phoebe try to avoid following through on their mutual attraction. Frustrated with his failing marriage, Jacob begins an affair with actress Kate Mallory (Robyn Douglass), destroying both his professional and personal partnerships.

Director: Arthur Hiller
Screenwriter: Bernard Slade
Production Co: Mirisch Corporation, United Artists, TAFT Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 1983, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 22, 2016
Runtime: 1h 43m

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