Irreconcilable Differences

PG

1984

1 hr. 54 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

60%

15 Reviews

Tomatometer

47%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Albert Brodsky (Ryan O'Neal) and his wife, Lucy (Shelley Long), are both highly successful in their fields. While Albert has a thriving career as a filmmaker, Lucy is a well-received writer, but their occupations keep them away from each other and their young daughter, Casey (Drew Barrymore). When Casey has had enough of her parents' strained relationship, she decides to sue them for divorce. After Casey's cause gets media attention, the family is forced to reassess their life together.

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Jeff M

Reading the description of this movie can't help but make one wince in pain - a precocious little girl sues her parents for divorce due to neglect, choosing to live instead with the maid and her family. But miraculously, the end result is a funny, often touching look at modern family and the choices that make or break us. For those of you interested in Hollywood history, this is an obvious "fictional" take on director Peter Bogdanovich and his former wife Polly Platt. The parallels can't be ignored. But even if you're unfamiliar with these names, this movie manages to get beyond the cloying premise and become quite heartfelt. Long and O'Neal have had spotty careers at best, but each of them offer some of their finest film work here - Long is particularly effective, and one can't help but wonder about the career she could have had with a few different choices here and there. A pre-BASIC INSTINCT Sharon Stone appears as the "fictional" counterpoint to Cybill Shepherd, whose affair with Bogdanovich ended his marriage to Platt in real life. It's far from a perfect film, but it's a bit more than you might expect, with moments of real emotion and insight.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Just watched for the first time – hands down one of the most beautiful stories I've seen. Shelley Long takes away the film with her outstanding performance, as well as Drew Barrymore. So much depth and sentiment.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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andy h

You may think it will be something crazy, but what you actually get may be just as endearing and humorous.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I told my husband that for "Confetti"(2006) the film producers told Robert Webb his junk would be pixelated in the final film and then put his full Xmas gift on display, just like Sharon Stone said happened to her in "Basic Instinct"(1992). Hopefully people in the film industry now know that's breaking the law, and their whole film can be pulled forever and ever if the proper consent isn't considered when propagating sexual exploitation for profit on an ongoing basis... Regardless, I've never seen "Basic Instinct", hearing Bill Hicks send-up of it was enough, but all I remember from this film was SHARON STONE IN BED. I tried to recall anything else about this movie other than Sharon Stone being a sex Goddess, and the only thing my brain could roll out was: We think Ryan O'Neal was in it? Which was enough for Google to make the match. I completely forgot this film was through the eyes of child Drew Barrymore, because when this film came out, I was a child Drew Barrymore. My parents have been married for 50+ years, but even as a kid I remember thinking; If I ever see someone like Sharon near Dad, it's all over! And she hadn't even crossed and uncrossed her legs at that point.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

steve d

I didn't care about any of the characters.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Ryan O' Neal, Shelley Long, and a very young Drew Barrymore this is also the introduction of Sharon Stone onto the screen! if this premise sounds familiar it's because 10 years later Elijah Wood would do the same thing in the movie 'North' but here it's actually handled with more care balancing the comedy and the drama fresh after her stardom in 'E.T.' Drew Barrymore plays a 9 year-old girl who wishes to emancipate herself from both of her parents, yeah it sounds crazy as she gains media attention as well as taking her case to court the parents are flabbergasted yet as the case unfolds we go back to the beginning of how they all met and why the wedge between them increased the way it did Albert was an inspiring film student and Lucy was engaged to be married to another man; both of them met and fell in love on the road, married in a few days then had their daughter Casey both of them seemed like a pair made in heaven combining their love of film with a degree in writing but their work-obsessed life starts to take over making them not pay attention to Casey as well as resenting each other for not giving credit where credit is due Stone as an upcoming actress named Blake may also be the seed to her parents separating increasing the distance of their relationship film is the most emotional medium in the world according to Orson Wells so for Albert making a successful movie was his biggest goal to set them for life but Lucy may mean more to them than just their personal lives or achievements as she tries to open their eyes when you fall in love you have to be nice to them even when you don't love them anymore, when you have a kid you treat them like a human being not as a pet, parents have to recognize their child's rights as a human being and not treat them like cattle, we should know better when all grown up, have to know how to talk and how to act, at times we forget what we love that's in front of us when it's not there anymore Barrymore is the best actress in this thing truly opening up about the harsh reality of divorce it's very heartfelt yet very heavy all the same a film that talks about a very difficult subject matter but important for a lot of people whom have gone through the same ordeal

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

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Charles Shyer

Director

Drew Barrymore

Casey Brodsky

Ryan O'Neal

Albert Brodsky

Shelley Long

Lucy Van Patten Brodsky

Sam Wanamaker

David Kessler

Allen Garfield

Phil Hanner

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Irreconcilable Differences is sometimes cute, and is about mean parents, but it also is one of the funnier and more intelligent movies of 1984, and if viewers can work their way past the ungainly title, they're likely to have a surprisingly good time.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 3/5

May 11, 2003

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a slightly overlong yet mostly engrossing piece of work that fares best in its engaging, briskly-paced first half...

Rated: 3/4

Apr 23, 2023

Full Review

Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

Dated comedy about divorce with sex, nudity, drugs.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 23, 2018

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

Writer-director Charles Shyer and writer Nancy Meyers fill their movie with fresh dialogue and Hollywood-insider tidbits, and the roles couldn't be more aptly cast.

Rated: 3/4

May 5, 2013

Full Review

Kyle Smith

KyleSmithOnline.com

There is a marvelous balance in that we have an equal rooting interest in each of the main characters. It isn't a mere satire.

Rated: 4/4

Apr 29, 2009

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Synopsis

Albert Brodsky (Ryan O'Neal) and his wife, Lucy (Shelley Long), are both highly successful in their fields. While Albert has a thriving career as a filmmaker, Lucy is a well-received writer, but their occupations keep them away from each other and their young daughter, Casey (Drew Barrymore). When Casey has had enough of her parents' strained relationship, she decides to sue them for divorce. After Casey's cause gets media attention, the family is forced to reassess their life together.

Director: Charles Shyer
Screenwriter: Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Apr 14, 2009