My Favorite Year

PG

Released Oct 1, 1982

1 hr. 32 min.

Comedy

List

97%

30 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Fledgling comic Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.

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Critics Consensus

My Favorite Year is a joyful ode to the early days of television, carried with a deft touch and Peter O'Toole's uproariously funny performance.

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Dee

Slow start but the rest did not disappoint ! Loved it!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/04/24

Full Review

Nadine H

Probably my favorite movie of all time. O'Toole is phenomenal.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

Mark A

Funny and moving. Peter O'Toole is brilliant! Love Laine Kazan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/16/22

Full Review

Audience Member

If you're a fan of comedy, as I am, what is not to like about this movie? It's an affectionate window, on TV's golden age of live shows, where Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon got their start. Watching the stellar cast delivering perfect performances, in harmony and synch, infecting you with their camaraderie and their love for one and other, but most of all, love for show business, in tandem with an endearing, laugh at loud screenplay, perfectly paced, and directed by Richard Benjamin. The dinner scene in Brooklyn, on its own, is a stand alone classic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I had higher expectations before watching this movie. It builds up in the beginning as something promising, before falling into the abyss of a monotonous plot, stalling the viewer before it reaches the ending which was deliberately made in a way to terminate it on a high note. Mark Linn-Baker is annoying and very unsuitable for a comedic character. Peter O'Toole on the other hand has a funny character and gives a great performance albeit not one of his best, but the script doesn't help him. Jessica Harper's appearance made a smooth addition. In all it's a watchable movie, but don't expect yourself to be sitting in front of a screen rewatching it any time soon.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

dave s

My Favorite Year is Richard Benjamin's tribute to the golden era of live television, inspired by executive producer Mel Brooks and his experiences as a young writer on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows. Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) is tasked with the unenviable job of keeping the reigns on Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), a hard-drinking womanizer who is scheduled to appear on the live broadcast. As would be expected, O'Toole shines and is magnetic whenever he's on the screen. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast, especially Linn-Baker, seem out of their element as one overplayed, ridiculously hysterical scene follows the previous one, seemingly existing only to provide filler until O'Toole next appears. A little restraint would have gone a long way in making My Favorite Year a film worth watching.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Richard Benjamin

Director

Peter O'Toole

Alan Swann

Mark Linn-Baker

Benjy Stone

Joseph Bologna

King Kaiser

Jessica Harper

K.C. Downing

Bill Macy

Sy Benson

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

As the guest from Hollywood -- the peacock Alan Swann, who is part John Barrymore and part Errol Flynn (maybe the best parts of each) --O'Toole is simply astounding.

Sep 19, 2023

Full Review

Derek Malcolm

Guardian

It is clearly O'Toole's film, and he is superb at playing the O'Toole of every gossip-writer's most cherished wish.

Mar 24, 2023

Full Review

Michael Sragow

Rolling Stone

My Favorite Year is a film that rises -- and sometimes soars -- on the beauty of its central idea and on the loving, intelligent way it’s been fleshed out.

Jun 21, 2022

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

My Favorite Year, with the possible exception of Lawrence of Arabia, is my favorite Peter O'Toole performance.

Rated: 4.0/4.0

Sep 17, 2020

Full Review

Molly Haskell

Vogue

My Favorite Year turns aggravated mayhem, assault, and hammery into comic gold.

Feb 27, 2020

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Filmmaker Benjamin delivers a lackadaisically-paced yet generally entertaining comedy that benefits substantially from the leads' superb work...

Rated: 3/4

Feb 25, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Fledgling comic Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.

Director: Richard Benjamin
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Brooksfilms
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 1982, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2008

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