The Goodbye Girl

THE GOODBYE GIRL [1977 / 2016] [Blu-ray] Thank You Neil Simon for Making Us Laugh about Falling in Love . . . Again!Paula McFadden knows: In romance, actors all follow the same stage instruction: Exit. Without warning, her actor boyfriend split today for a movie role and sublet their Manhattan apartment. The new tenant's name: Elliot Garfield. Profession: actor.Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason deliver comedy, zingy repartee and bitter-to-best romance in ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL,’ a lustrous charmer featuring Richard Dreyfuss' Academy Award® winning Best Actor performance. Neil Simon's screenplay deftly combines battle-of-the-sexes appeal with an off-Broadway subplot whose scenes "are the funniest since Mel Brooks staged “Springtime For Hitler” (in The Producers)." (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). You'll laugh, cry and cheer. Just say hello to this magical movie.FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 1978 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Richard Dreyfuss. Nominated: Best Picture for Ray Stark. Nominated: Best Actress in a Leading Role for Marsha Mason. Nominated: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Quinn Cummings. Nominated: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Neil Simon. 1978 Golden Globes®: Win: Best Motion Picture for a Comedy or Musical. Win: Best Actress in a Motion Picture for a Comedy or Musical for Marsha Mason. Win: Best Actor in a Motion Picture for a Comedy or Musical for Richard Dreyfuss. Win: Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture for Neil Simon. Nominated: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for a Motion Picture for Quinn Cummings. 1978 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen for Neil Simon. 1979 BAFTA® Awards: Win: Best Actor for Richard Dreyfuss. Nominated: Best Actress for Marsha Mason. Nominated: Best Screenplay for Neil Simon.Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, Paul Benedict, Barbara Rhoades, Theresa Merritt, Michael Shawn, Patricia Pearcy, Gene Castle, Daniel Levins, Marilyn Sokol, Anita Dangler, Victoria Boothby, Robert Costanzo, Pancho González, Jose Machado, Hubert Kelly, Dana Laurita, David S. Cass Sr., Loyita Chapel, Caprice Clarke, Esther Sutherland, Clarence Felder, Kensuke Haga, Ryohei Kanokogi, Ruby Holbrook, Kristina Hurrell, David Matthau, Milt Oberman, Eddie Villery, Joseph Carberry, Eric Uhler, Raymond J. Barry, Powers Boothe, Tom Everett, Janice Fuller, Munson Hicks, Robert Kerman, Jeanne Lange, Robert Lesser, Fred McCarren, Nicholas Mele, Maureen Moore, Joseph Regalbuto, Peter Vogt, Wendy Cutler, Susan Elliot, Andy Goldberg, Paul Willson, Charles Silvern (uncredited) and Nicol Williamson (uncredited)Director: Herbert RossProducers: Ray Stark and Roger M. RothsteinScreenplay: Neil SimonComposer: Dave GrusinCinematography: David M. Walsh (Director of Photography)Video Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 1.85:1Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio MonoSubtitles: English SDHRunning Time: 110 minutesRegion: All RegionsNumber of discs: 1Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive CollectionAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ [1977] is a totally brilliant Neil Simon vehicle and even more brilliant in the hands of the director Herbert Ross. It’s tough to make a film that juggles heartbreak, insecurity, childhood, and the hesitation that’s inherent to moving on after disaster strikes at your core. It’s tough at the same time to make a film about those kinds of topics, and still have it be very funny and heart-warming, to a point of getting the Kleenex tissues out. Written by Neil Simon and directed by Hollywood veteran Herbert Ross, better known for popular films such as ‘Funny Lady’ and ‘Footloose’ and of course ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ accomplishes such a feat in just under two hours.Led brilliantly by a cast featuring that always incredible Richard Dreyfuss, and his co-star Marsha Mason, ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ drops us into the middle of an unexpected breakup. Broadway dancer Paula McFadden finds herself broken up with and homeless after her previous partner heads for Europe, subletting his apartment to an inspiring actor from Chicago, Elliot Garfield. Immediately, Paula clashes with him, fighting to keep the apartment for herself and her daughter Lucy, and Elliot reluctantly agrees. Together, beyond their ferocious attitudes towards each other, they must figure out what it takes to be successful in the vicious theatre community of New York City, Paula struggling to regain her former career, and Elliot finding out for the first time just how hostile and frustrating Broadway can be. They must fight tooth and nail to live with comfort in the Big Apple, and maybe even find love in the process.The ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ film follows the typical romantic comedy plot line, in which two unlike individuals clash and over the course of the next hour or so melt each other’s guard away to fall into a passionate love for one another, but does so with that classic Neil Simon edge that manages to be funny, but realistic at the same time. Our two leading actors watch their lives fall apart, as Elliot Garfield [Richard Dreyfuss] has his dreams of being an Off-Broadway star crushed, and Paula McFadden [Marsha Mason] realizing she can’t easily fit back into the life she gave up to be with her daughter Lucy McFadden [Quinn Cummings]. We get to watch as they struggle with the low points in their careers, and then relish as things begin to look up for everyone as the film cleanly and warmly wraps itself up.‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ is an actor/actress’s film, laden with brilliant sharp dialogue rather than exciting visual sequences, almost as if it’s a play, which Neil Simon frequently wrote. More often than not, the film hinges on the performance of lead actor Richard Dreyfuss, who plays his role with such a fine balance between broken and casual, resulting in several scene stealing sequences including a rather inspired performance of the lead role in Richard III, and his various interactions with Paula McFadden’s daughter Lucy McFadden which are played to great comedic effect. Richard Dreyfuss performance is so strong that it makes it difficult at times to care about the struggles Paula McFadden is facing, making her seem insignificant whereas Richard Dreyfuss oozes charisma all over Neil Simon’s script. It led to him receiving an Academy Award® for Best Actor for his masterful performance, cementing his presence as a Hollywood legend, while Marsha Mason’s performance has largely sadly become forgotten over the years.‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ is extremely well edited, tightly paced heart-warming film that drags us through the lows and highs of an easily relatable odd couple in New York City that equates to comfort food for film-goers. The consequences are light, but the edge of disaster is just close enough to make the film a compelling watch. In the final analysis, with a witty screenplay by Neil Simon and an excellent cast, ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ had the pieces in place for an utterly appealing romantic comedy. Lightly directed by Herbert Ross, Neil Simon's apartment-sharing scenario uniting a wary single mother with a struggling actor finds the humour in a quintessentially contemporary milieu of serial relationships, commitment-phobia, and New York real estate to add to the scenario. Marsha Mason revealed her talent for comedy as well as dramatic emotion in her performance as Paula McFadden, while newcomer Quinn Cummings was charmingly self-assured as her young daughter, Lucy McFadden. Rising star Richard Derfuss’s Elliott was both broadly hilarious playing an ill-conceived Richard III and charmingly sensitive as the male romantic lead. This wonderful film is greeted as a straightforward piece of joyful escapism and a joy to watch.Finally, the reason I love this film is because of the following Memorable Quotes from ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ that goes as follows:"I'm paying the rent. I'll make the rules. I like to take showers every morning, and I don't like the panties drying on the rod! I like to cook, so I'll use the kitchen whenever I damn well please. And I'm very particular about my condiments, so keep your salt and pepper to yourself. Plus, I play the guitar in the middle of the night whenever I cannot sleep, and I meditate every morning complete with chanting and burning incense, so if you've got to walk around, I would appreciate a little tiptoeing. Also, I sleep in the nude – buffo – winter and summer, rain or snow, with the window open. And because I may have to go to the potty or the fridge in the middle of the night, and because I don't want to put on jammies, which I do not own in the first place, unless you're looking for a quick thrill or your daughter an advanced education, I'd keep my door closed. Them's my rules and regulations. How does that grab you?"Blu-ray Video Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents this brilliant film with a very pleasant 1080p encoded image, especially for a film that was released in 1977 and they have done a really wonderful job and was originally shot on 4-perf 35mm film using spherical Panavision lenses. The film is presented here in in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and slightly more open than the original theatrical aspect ratio from this new HD master. ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ is more like a filmed play than it is a cinematic experience. The cinematography therefore serves not to tell the story, but to simply frame the players on screen. There isn’t any particularly striking use of colour or camera work, and the shooting style embraces the softness of 1970s era spherical lenses. The film has an even layer of grain throughout the entire feature, and the print is impeccably clean. Colour pushes towards the more naturalistic end of the spectrum, but looks healthy. Overall, this is an excellent presentation by Warner Archive Collection.Blu-ray Video Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents this brilliant film with an excellent 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono audio experience. The film’s sound presentation is effective, in that it presents the dialogue very clearly, and nothing gets lost in the mono audio mix presentation. The limited use of music composed by Dave Grusin is presented very well. Overall, I was very satisfied with this audio track. But what a shame they could not of upgraded the sound presentation to stereo.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Theatrical Trailer [1977] [1080i] [1.78:1] [2:45] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL.’ Despite a very grainy video presentation, the trailer is a brilliant presentation of a film that came out in 1977 and one that makes you want to watch this feel good rom-com filmFinally, ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ became an unexpected brilliant hit, and earned several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Screenplay. Herbert Ross was nominated for directing ‘The Turning Point’ [1977] instead. The 29-year-old Richard Dreyfuss took home the Best Actor statuette, becoming the youngest winner of the award and was well deserved. Re-watching ‘THE GOODBYE GIRL’ was a breath of fresh air, and here is a film that is totally compassionate, yet realistically shows that you can be found through two vastly different people daring to emotionally opening themselves to one another. It is a variant on ‘The Odd Couple’ and of course Neil Simon cleverly manages to get more mileage out of the same theme is explored and ends up as a sweet-natured, nice, and a good old fashioned romantic comedy in which the stars are perfectly paired. Especially with Richard Dreyfus and his twinkling acting that is added with his brash energy like some latter-day James Cagney and gets most of the laughs and leaves Marsha Mason with a very touching performance. Very Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

I do not usually write reviews; however, this movie deserves my most respected acclaim. It is one of my absolute favorites since I was quite young. As a former studied theatrical actor, I find this film exhibits Dreyfuss's finest performance of which many have never witnessed; consequently receiving his first Academy Award for this piece in 1977.The chemistry, expression and the execution of comedic timing between Dreyfuss and Mason is impeccable and is a perfect flow, reflecting the hilarious and emotional nature of the characters as they are thrown together in their predicaments. Neil Simon's genius is not lost for a second in this movie. It is a classic and I would recommend this flick to anyone starting out on stage and/or pursuing a film career. A delight to watch, simply ace all the way!

Neil Simon's heart-warming charmer of a romance gets a great looking Blu-ray treatment via the Warner Archive. Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfus are magical together in this classic, classy affair de couer with only bright spots to show for it. It's rare today to find a romantic comedy as intensely felt yet seemingly featherweight and sunny and breezy with a genuine lump in the throat kind of sad satisfaction. The Goodbye Girl delivers on all fronts and is a winner not to be missed. Warner Archive's Blu-ray looks utterly fabulous. Another reference quality remaster of a vintage catalog title. All I can add is, keep 'em coming! Buy today. Treasure forever.

A fun, lighthearted yet touching exploration of relationships as two arguably guarded skeptics open their hearts to one another amidst the craziness of The Big Apple, the theater, and a cozy if crowded apartment occupied by Paula McFadden, a once successful hoofer trying to traverse the murky waters of come-and-go relationships; Elliot Garfield, a guitar- playing thespian with a penchant for candidacy albeit in a matter-of fact manner and his fondness for Paula's daughter Lucy; a sweet, precocious protective inquisitive girl who like her mother has difficulty believing anyone could ever stay or want to stay forever.The talented Neil Simon pens another winner which translates remarkably well to the screen. A character-driven piece sewn together with seams of tenderness and authenticity.To top it all off, it boasts one of the most memorable songs ever composed, the charting topping hit by Bread's front-man David Gates, the title track.One of the sweetest most uplifting endings to a love story ever featured on the big screen.Everything about the Goodbye girl is simply amazing!

THE GOODBYE GIRL is a delightful step back in time when life was simpler but not without its problems. Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) is about to leave New York City for Los Angeles with her boyfriend Tony and her precocious 10-year-old Lucy (Quinn Cummings). There is only one problem. Tony has abandoned them for an acting job in Italy while subletting the apartment to a struggling actor named Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss). Two honest and decent people are now in a major dilemma. Who gets the apartment? The simple solution? Share the apartment.Here is where this sweet romantic comedic hearkens back to a kinder and gentler time. In today's world, what responsible single mother would let a complete stranger move in with her and her daughter on the spot?In THE GOODBYE GIRL, it all makes sense to follow such a course of action. Paula and scruffy Elliot have an instant attraction to each other. It all works. Mason never looked lovelier with her sweet but determined girl next door look. THE GOODBYE GIRL is simply delightful and a must see feel good film about love and compromise.

IMPORTANT - CHECK YOUR DVD PLAYER BEFORE ORDERING!!Looking through the reviews, I can see that a lot of people have been disappointed to discover that this DVD will not play for them.This is because it is an American import - a REGION 1 DVD. UK players are invariably locked to REGION 2, so USA imports will NOT play on them. I have a multi-region player (purchased legally from Amazon - do a search, you'll find plenty), so I was able to watch it...... anyway, the movie itself - it's a nice little feelgood romantic comedy, which still outshines most of the others, even after over thirty years.No swearing, no "bedroom" scenes, just a sweet, funny story, featuring three main characters who bounce off each other perfectly - great interaction, excellent comic timing, and a decent plotline.Richard Dreyfuss gives a brilliant Oscar-winning performance as Elliot Garfield, the quirky, likeable, and talented aspiring actor. In particular, I found his reluctant portrayal of Richard III as a grossly exaggerated stereotypical gay to be both hilarious and excruciating - he deserved his gong for those scenes alone.The other two main characters - Paula (Marsha Mason) and her daughter Lucy (Quinn Cummings) are well written, and they interact well with Dreyfuss' character - I found myself liking them all, and actually wanting it to work out for them.If you want to be entertained for a couple of hours, this is a nice way to do it.

This film is just up there with the best .. We have it on a video use ago and I've never forgotten it ....I have been trying to buy the DVD for a reasonable price for years as it appears to now be a collectable ....accidentally got one from America which of course doesn't play on my TV ... make sure you get region 2 Europe ....This film so makes you laugh I think we've all been there with love lost and found and this encapsulates it ...Richard Dreyfus is just to die for... he is so funny ..... Don't bother with the newer version it was rubbish it's the same words line to line but the actors don't even deserve to be in the originals shadows in comparison ....If you can get this all rent this film do watch it brings back the good old days of the 70s....

The seller was amazing! I was confusd about 'regions' that DVDs can be used in so I contacted the seller, and he was brilliant! Not only was he quick to reply but was so helpful and friendly. I got the DVD so quickly, well wrapped and even though it is for a christmas present I watched it anyway and it was perfect! If it hadn't been for the seller I may not have bought it due to my confusion about DVDs playing in specific regions. The seller was great! He even gave me suggestions and links to where I could buy specific DVD players for specific regions. The seller was just faultless!! lovely man! and great product!!

This is in a different region and wont play on our Sony DVD player but can play on my Samsung DVD player. I may need to repurchase this item to play on DVD players in the UK including Sony DVD players.

The DVD arrived much sooner than expected - great service. I have waited so long to see this film again having seen it on tv many years ago. When I sat down to watch it with my husband I thought he would not enjoy it but not long into the film he said "this is a good film" and paid it several more compliments throughout. It is absolutely brilliant, a lovely story with a surprise ending which keeps you guessing to the last moment. Thank you for making this available.