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The Heartbreak Kid

Play trailer Poster for The Heartbreak Kid PG Released Dec 17, 1972 1h 44m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Soon after Lenny (Charles Grodin) marries Lila (Jeannie Berlin), the needy and unrefined side of her personality begins to emerge, and he becomes increasingly uncertain about his decision to marry her. During their honeymoon in Miami, Lenny meets beautiful and sophisticated Kelly (Cybill Shepherd). Every chance he gets, Lenny sneaks away from Lila to be with Kelly, and the more he gets to know her, the more he falls in love. Problems arise when the two women learn about each another.
The Heartbreak Kid

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Critics Consensus

An uproariously funny confluence of top-shelf talent, The Heartbreak Kid finds bittersweet humor in attitudes toward love and marriage in early '70s America.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael New Yorker Nothing is as rare in American movies now as comedy with a director’s style and personality. Elaine May finds her comic tone in The Heartbreak Kid. Sep 29, 2023 Full Review Molly Haskell Village Voice Elaine May's second feature is a funny and sometimes side-splitting whose whole never approaches the success of its best moments in which the two levels of romantic fantasy and satire are reconciled. Apr 20, 2022 Full Review Mimi Avins St. Louis Post-Dispatch Elaine May directed, further proving her gift for acerbic comedy. There isn't much the film misses ; on a trail of mockery that covers middle class marriage, sex, Miami Beach and go-getterism. It manages to be funny along the way. Feb 23, 2022 Full Review Andrew Kendall Stabroek News Frame after frame, even when the laughter reaches a peak, May is always interrogating the complexity beyond the laughs. There are many laughs in The Heartbreak Kid, but very few of them come easy. Jul 26, 2024 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Maximally cringe-inducing comedy—in a good way... Sep 12, 2022 Full Review Janet Maslin Boston Phoenix Despite her collaborators’ formidable reputations in the laugh trade, it is Elaine May who pulls off the impressive feat of rendering all this potential poison harmless enough to be funny. Feb 23, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alec B As ruthlessly cynical as Simon's screenplay is, May's direction is the most subversive thing here. She forces the audience to slowly abandon all sympathy for these character so that by the end you're utterly relieved that no one is happy. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Audience Member There's some okay stuff in here, but it ultimately isn't funny enough to compensate for a story that isn't particularly captivating, nor for characters who are either underdeveloped, uninteresting, or flat-out unlikable. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review William L "I didn't come out here to negotiate for Kelly, I came out here to fight for her. I spent three years in the United States Army. I fought every God-damned minute of those three years. Unfortunately not overseas because of a minor back injury." Something of a Jewish version of The Graduate with more deadpan, The Heartbreak Kid bounces between targeted cultural satire and more universal humor in young romantic/matrimonial wanderings. Grodin's Cantrow is a laughably and unsympathetically faithless newlywed (but notably, not too laughably; there's the distinct feeling that people exist exactly like him) experiencing a crisis after thoughtlessly arranging a marriage to a partner that he hardly knows. He sees the next 50 years laid out as a grind as he stares at a woman who eats without reservation and doesn't listen to what he says (yeah, some of the humor is pretty dated), and subsequently jumps at the first woman with spontanieity that he runs across regardless of the actual likelihood of their happiness is. The film plays off social stereotypes and interactions, particularly the dissolution of a Jewish marriage for the husband to pursue a WASPy girl next door type, before ending up in a world in which he doesn't know how to hold a basic conversation. At times superficially funny, other darkly comic, and often stressful in its rather bleak depiction of a one-sided relationship and obsession, Simon's script may not have aged perfectly in all places but May still makes a satisfying final product with some great moments and variety to its tone. (3.5/5) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/29/21 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. This was entertaining, but in a painful and uncomfortable way. The premise was good, but you weren't sure where it was going. There were unanswered questions. It then it surprised with its sudden ending. Shepard was gorgeous. It was on YouTube. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Saw long ago, no remember details. Only that Blobbo liked. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie had everything i like its classic and a good story and pretty interesting Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Heartbreak Kid

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Cast & Crew

Play It Again, Sam 97% 89% Play It Again, Sam Watchlist The Owl and the Pussycat 82% 64% The Owl and the Pussycat Watchlist Lovers and Other Strangers 100% 74% Lovers and Other Strangers Watchlist The Ruling Class 83% 85% The Ruling Class Watchlist Cactus Flower 85% 81% Cactus Flower Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Soon after Lenny (Charles Grodin) marries Lila (Jeannie Berlin), the needy and unrefined side of her personality begins to emerge, and he becomes increasingly uncertain about his decision to marry her. During their honeymoon in Miami, Lenny meets beautiful and sophisticated Kelly (Cybill Shepherd). Every chance he gets, Lenny sneaks away from Lila to be with Kelly, and the more he gets to know her, the more he falls in love. Problems arise when the two women learn about each another.
Director
Elaine May
Producer
Edgar J. Scherick
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Palomar Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 1972, Original
Runtime
1h 44m