Following up her legendary role of Lois Lane in "Superman", Margot Kidder had what I consider her greatest performance (and an award worthy performance) in this slice of life drama about two best friends who remain close in spite of their love for the same woman. It's Vietnam War era for New Yorkers Michael Ontkean (Willie) and Ray Sharkey (Phil), and somehow they manage to stay out, one feigning being a klutz and the other claiming that he's gay, and after various short lived romances with other women, they encounter Jeanette (Kidder) in Washington Square Park, and they begin spending every woke moment together, which results in one of them winning her over, the other moving on, and how they manage to remain close in spite of everything.
Not a heavy drama, but one of many linear dramas of the late 70's and early 80's which showed the transition of friendships and relationships through the moving on of the years, and it's a great character study for the three major characters as seen through the eyes of writer and director Paul Mazursky, probably his best obscure movie, and nearly perfect. Told through some very witty narration, this manages to retain viewer interest through some very interesting, well thought out scenarios, and the conflicts that Willie and Jeanette have are believable and amusing, and later on when she briefly ends up with Phil. In spite of the character's flaws, they're all interesting people, with Kidder making the feminist Jeanette quite a force without being obnoxious. The late Kidder may not have considered her much of an actress, but she's completely natural here, and when an actor plays a part and doesn't appear to be acting, that's real acting.
Not a heavy drama, but one of many linear dramas of the late 70's and early 80's which showed the transition of friendships and relationships through the moving on of the years, and it's a great character study for the three major characters as seen through the eyes of writer and director Paul Mazursky, probably his best obscure movie, and nearly perfect. Told through some very witty narration, this manages to retain viewer interest through some very interesting, well thought out scenarios, and the conflicts that Willie and Jeanette have are believable and amusing, and later on when she briefly ends up with Phil. In spite of the character's flaws, they're all interesting people, with Kidder making the feminist Jeanette quite a force without being obnoxious. The late Kidder may not have considered her much of an actress, but she's completely natural here, and when an actor plays a part and doesn't appear to be acting, that's real acting.