The Goodbye Girl is a charming romantic comedy following single mom Paula and her 10-year-old daughter Lucy (Quinn Cummings) as they reluctantly share their apartment with Elliot, a friend of her ex subletting the place. The plot is formulaic: Paula and Elliot are at each other’s throats, constantly sniping at each other while simultaneously charming us with their verbal acumen and physical dynamism. Dreyfuss is particularly stunning—he’s unpredictable at every turn, giving a twirl here and doing an accent there. He nabbed the Best Actor award at the Oscars that year, and rightly so. Then slowly but surely, they fall in love. No surprise there, but the whip-smart script (penned by Neil Simon) and the lively performances are what save the film. Even Lucy gets to drop laugh-out-loud one-liners while still being believably her age. It’s an all-around likable film, as well as a masterclass in romcom charm and acting.
Synopsis
After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.
Storyline
Paula’s (Marsha Mason) boyfriend leaves her and their New York apartment, but not before subletting it to a friend named Elliot (Richard Dreyfuss). Strapped for cash, Paula and Elliot reluctantly agree to share the space despite their patience for each other.
TLDR
You’ll look like a goof smiling from ear to ear watching this film.
What stands out
Dreyfuss is great, of course, but I can’t stop thinking about how his award-winning role was almost played by Robert de Niro, who had to leave the project because he “didn’t feel enthused by it.”
