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My Favorite Year

Play trailer Poster for My Favorite Year PG Released Oct 1, 1982 1h 32m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
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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My Favorite Year

My Favorite Year

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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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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Russ G Peter O'Toole, a notorious drunk and rake, channels one a generation earlier: Errol Flynn, after whom the "In Like Flynn" phrase was modeled. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/03/25 Full Review Lydia T Perfect casting and very funny. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/25 Full Review Chris B Hilariously written and performed. Wonderfully romantic depiction of the Golden Age of television. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/25 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/02/24 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 Read all reviews
My Favorite Year

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Cast & Crew

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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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My Favorite Year

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Michael Gruskoff
Screenwriter
Norman Steinberg, Dennis Palumbo
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
Runtime
1h 32m
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