I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I loved this film when I saw it on the big screen as a teenager, and I loved it even more when I saw it again yesterday. We watch characters developing in a crucial situation - some of them more, some of them less. And at the end of the day we are surprised who does (more) and who doesn't (or does less). What else can we hope for when going to the movies - except the assets of Miss Derek?

Advertised as a wacky marital sex romp (with allusions to wife-swapping), this Erich Segal script surprises by being a mostly sobering look at a marriage between two middle-agers (Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Hopkins) which has faltered and can't really be rectified. Released alongside a spate of similar middle-age-crazy comedy-dramas (including MacLaine's "Loving Couples", which she made back-to-back with "Seasons"), this one has the added appeal of seeing serious-minded Hopkins romancing Bo Derek (fresh off her triumph in "10" and usually out of her clothes). The writing is often achingly 'cute', with hardly a wink to the audience to let us know co-writer Segal is in on the joke. However, the more thoughtful moments (integrated unobtrusively by director Richard Lang) offer some insight into what breaks up a marital union, and both MacLaine and Hopkins have strong scenes. ** from ****

This film was well written by Erich Segal of Love Story fame and by the producer, Martin Ransohoff. It is a comedic farce, but it is also touching and poignant and the characters are all quite likable and well developed. One reviewer didn't see the point to it all, but the point was that life does not end with marriage and middle age. We all have our temptations and we do the best we can with the complexities that confront us. No character in this film meant harm to any other and the result of each person's actions were not to be tidied up with easy answers. The consequences of the decisions made by the husband, the wife, the husbands girlfriend, the wife's boyfriend, and the girlfriend's father were left for us to ponder. Only the daughter, with the idealism of youth, could blissfully move on without considering what bends in the road she might face in her future. Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLane and the other cast members do a fine job with the material. I liked it very much and strongly recommend it.

I thought at the time that this movie was slapped together to take advantage of the popularity of Bo Derek. Since she is topless during the credits, there is no real point in staying for the movie itself.I bet Shirley McLean felt the same way. She doesn't seem to care for the movie any more than I did.Anthony Hopkins was nobody in particular back then and did nothing to help his career.Ed Winter, pardon any mispelling, was known for being Col Flag on MASH. He's still known for that, if even for that.Everyone ends this movie being happy except Anthony Hopkins, who wanted to keep his options open. The audience is happy because they can go home if they haven't already left.I stayed because I thought it had to get better. I was very naive.