1972 Movie
Dir. Elaine May · United States of America · English
As tragic as it is funny, this romantic comedy doubles as a takedown of the nice guy trope
“What if I meet my soulmate while in a relationship with someone else?” It’s a worry we’ve all had, but The Heartbreak Kid’s protagonist Lenny takes it a step further. He acts upon his desires and pursues a woman he met while on a honeymoon trip with his wife. Suddenly, the lines are blurred. Is he being romantic or irrational? Positive or delusional? If he’s such a prick, why is his character so compelling? Why is he so easy to root for? The Heartbreak Kid has been labeled a romantic comedy, and it is, but it’s also a character study about the so-called Nice Guy, the leading men who feel entitled to good things because they don’t (overtly, at least) treat their partner like a hunk of meat. It’s also a lesson in how we tend to use people and confuse things like aspiration and fear of loneliness for love. Plenty of things happen all at once in The Heartbreak Kid, making it a bit more layered than your typical romcom.
Three days into his Miami honeymoon with needy and unsophisticated Lila, Lenny meets tall, blonde Kelly. This confirms his fear that he has made a serious mistake and he decides he wants to be with Kelly instead.
"Nothing is as rare in American movies now as comedy with a director’s style and personality. Elaine May finds her comic tone in The Heartbreak Kid."
— Pauline Kael
"Elaine May's deft direction catches all the possibilities of young romance and its tribulations in light strokes and cleverly accents characterization of the various principals."
— Variety Staff
Lenny (Charles Grodin) meets the love of his life, Kelly (Cybill Shepherd), on a honeymoon trip to Miami. He keeps his newlywed wife Laila in the dark and sneaks out to meet with Kelly (Jeannie Berlin).
That ending perfectly encapsulates how much of a tragicomedy this film is. It’s very similar in tone and impact to The Graduate ending, which might not be a coincidence considering both directors—Elaine May and Mike Nichols—were close friends and former creative partners. In fact, put on The Graduate first if you’re in a mood. In some ways, it feels like a prequel to this film. It’ll make for an interesting (depressing, but interesting) double feature.
Let’s just all collectively ignore the 2007 remake with Ben Stiller and refer to this as the only Heartbreak film, please.
Oscars
2 noms
Golden Globes
3 noms
WGA
1 nom
NYFCC
1 win · 1 nom
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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