One of my all time favorites.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

I've sworn to only post comments & reviews of movies that I've truly loved, enjoyed or at least have been positively inspiring... This '70s one, reloaded from the WB vaults, is simply extraordinary... I've just seen it again today (probably for the 4th or 5th time since the '70s...), 21st Sep 2016, aired by HBO in my very remote & rather boring eastern-EU regional area... Almost four decades have passed since its release... Nonetheless, what a beautiful display of art & professionalism in every aspect... This one could easily be re-named as the very earliest & genuine "Two & a Half Men" very- very initial pilot !!! Dreyfuss & Marsha Mason are clearly the leaders, however the "kid" almost steals the show (she hates being called a 'kid'... but she will eventually accept it from the right person...). Please, all of you who have completely erased your memories of how incredibly funny & witty the Two & a Half Men series were, just bear with me for a few more seconds... Both Dreyfuss' & Mason's characters are highly strong-willed, just as two men or two women of character would be, very much determined to achieve their life objectives. The witted, beautiful kid draws them closer and gently, childlishly lets them realise that their love requires them to resolve all trust issues... Last time I saw this movie, some ten years ago, it had seemed to me a bit obsolete and boring. Today (thank U HBO for reviving it...), I've really loved it... Blame it on my age, if not anything else! (60+) ...

When former dancer Paula McFadden comes home from a shopping spree with her ten year old daughter Lucy, she finds a Dear Jane letter from her boyfriend Tony. They both had been looking forward to accompanying Tony to California while he films a movie. It seems he's taken a film role in Italy instead and left her high and dry. This is the beginning of her problems. Later that night, she and Lucy are awakened by someone at the door. She opens it to see a soaking wet Elliot Garfield, starving actor. He claims he has sublet the apartment from Tony for three months for $600 and wants to move in that night since he has no place to stay. After telling him to take it up with her fictional police sergeant husband, Paula slams the door in his face and goes back to bed. He calls her a few minutes later from the phone booth down on the corner and tells her he knows she's lying. He convinces her to let him come up and talk over the situation. Paula agrees to let him stay, reasoning that he has a key to the place and she would have to stand guard to keep him from coming in. She begins listing rules for living in the apartment and he responds that he's paying the rent and he will make the rules. Thus begins an unlikely and amusing love story. If you're looking for nude love scenes and bawdy humor, look elsewhere. This is a sweet, funny and smart romantic comedy about two people making the best of a difficult situation and learning to trust again.

I hate rom-coms. I really do. I hate their predictability. I hate the two dimensional characters. I hate how dated they usually are (I'm looking at you, "You Got Mail"). I just can't stand them. Every so often, though, a romantic comedy comes along that doesn't keep my eyes rolling for an hour and a half. One where the characters aren't cardboard cutouts of actual human beings. One that's actually able to pull at my heart strings and let out the inner romantic. The Goodbye Girl is one of those movies.The complaint I had with the film was the Lucy McFadden character played by Quinn Cummings. To be fair, I thought she showed a good range of emotions and as the movie progressed I actually started to like her. At the start of the movie, though, she was not a welcomed presence. Her over precociousness made her seem like a Tatum O'Neil wanna be. Lucy McFadden is kind of like taking a dip in a pool really early in the morning. At first, it feels harsh but it warms up to you as you stay a little while longer.The movie does have a lot of the clichés we've come to hate about rom-coms. It has the "strong woman" with the heart of ice. It has the quirky love interest that melts aforenamed heart of ice. It has the wildly unlikely circumstances leading up to the wildly unlikely romance and the big city backdrop, but somehow it just works. I don't know why or how, but it just does. I thought Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason had great performances and I thought Elliot Garfield and Paula McFadden were likable characters. Is it my favorite movie of all time? No. Is it a bit of an Odd Couple rip off? Yes (though I guess that sort of thing works for Neil Simon). Did it give me that warm, fuzzy feeling rom-coms are supposed to give you (but so often fail to do)? Absolutely.

'The Goodbye Girl' is A Wonderful Film, that is well-written, well-acted, well-directed & even well-executed. It's one of the most involving movies from the late 1970's, as it gets almost everything right.Directed by Herbert Ross, 'The Goodbye Girl' centers on an odd trio-a struggling actor, who has sublet a Manhattan apartment from a friend, the current occupant "his friend's ex-girlfriend, who has just been abandoned" and her precocious young daughter.Neil Simon's Screenplay is top-notch. The film begins well and only keeps climbing the ladder. Also, the diversity between it's characters are very well-defined. The only problem I had with this film, was it's running-time. The film is about 10-15 minutes longer than it should have been. I feel if trimmed, it's overall impact would have only enhanced. Herbert Ross's direction is under-stated. Cinematography is perfect. Editing is alright.Performance-Wise: Richard Dreyfuss is lovable in an Oscar-Winning Performance. Marsha Mason is excellent in an Oscar-Nominated Performance. She delivers in each & every sequence. Quinn Cummings is confidence personified, in an also Oscar-Nominated Performance. She stands on her own and matches up step to step, near senior performers like Dreyfuss & Mason.On the whole, A Romantic Comedy-Drama, that manages to keep you hooked on the screen almost throughout. Worth A Watch!