The Heartbreak Kid (1972), is a story about the confusion and emotional trappings, of a young man named Lenny Cantrow, played by Charles Grodin, who's not sure if he made the right marital choice with his new wife, Lila (Jeannie Berlin). Than, add in the appearance of beautiful blonde, Kelly Corcoran (Cybill Shepherd), and things get even tougher for Lenny. Kelly's parents are played by Audra Lindley (Mrs. Roper from Three's Company, 1977-1984), and Eddie Albert (Green Acres, 1965-1971), who knows this whole thing between his daughter and Lenny, is a bad idea. Both Eddie Albert and Jeannie Berlin, were nominated for Best Supporting Oscars for the Heartbreak Kid (1972), so you can see this film has Academy Award exposure, especially in the acting category, which is done well in this film. We also have an early Doris Roberts sighting. Audra Lindley's, Mrs. Corcoran, is the complete opposite character from what her Helen Roper character was on the hit TV series.
Things get strange for Lenny, as his honeymoon with Lila begins and during their drive down old route 13, on their way to Miami, he begins to realize his novelesque marriage, is less fairytale and more real-world, than anything else. Overnight, Lenny sees his new bride, change from sexy wife to human being, along with all the gross stuff humans do. She gets food all over her face. She becomes annoying to him, while talking rather silly. She sunburns herself. She's sweaty, with creams all over her, fighting with her uncontrollable hair, etc. It is quite a good performance for Berlin. She deserved the Oscar nod. After all the human moments with Lila, Lenny's feeble brain begins to break down and then he runs into college hottie, Kelly. It would be the best three days of his life, not spent with his wife. Nobody in Kelly's family likes Lenny and it's made abundantly clear by her father, early on in the film. Albert earned his Oscar nod too.
For a rom-com inspired film, the Heartbreak Kid (1972), is shot really well and in a stylish type-of way. Director Elaine May, during the beach scenes, utilizes the camera lens to show the brightness of the sun on the beach. Grodin having a conversation with a sun-saturated Shepherd, from a low-angle, shows the brightness of the sun on the beach and the chaos beginning to take over his confused mind. It is a convincingly good performance by Grodin in this film, although he still radiates an aura, that he is not a young man, but more in his late-30s. He always had that older-look to him. I never felt "young" coming from the screen. The scene where he pretends to be from the Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotics, is classic Grodin though. Something he would master sixteen years later in Midnight Run (1988). It's his performance, that increases the pay-off in this film. Heartbreak Kid (1972), is a comedy, that makes you pull for the bad-guy, in this case, the scoundrel, cheating husband.
PMTM Grade: 7.3 (C+) = 7 IMDB.
Things get strange for Lenny, as his honeymoon with Lila begins and during their drive down old route 13, on their way to Miami, he begins to realize his novelesque marriage, is less fairytale and more real-world, than anything else. Overnight, Lenny sees his new bride, change from sexy wife to human being, along with all the gross stuff humans do. She gets food all over her face. She becomes annoying to him, while talking rather silly. She sunburns herself. She's sweaty, with creams all over her, fighting with her uncontrollable hair, etc. It is quite a good performance for Berlin. She deserved the Oscar nod. After all the human moments with Lila, Lenny's feeble brain begins to break down and then he runs into college hottie, Kelly. It would be the best three days of his life, not spent with his wife. Nobody in Kelly's family likes Lenny and it's made abundantly clear by her father, early on in the film. Albert earned his Oscar nod too.
For a rom-com inspired film, the Heartbreak Kid (1972), is shot really well and in a stylish type-of way. Director Elaine May, during the beach scenes, utilizes the camera lens to show the brightness of the sun on the beach. Grodin having a conversation with a sun-saturated Shepherd, from a low-angle, shows the brightness of the sun on the beach and the chaos beginning to take over his confused mind. It is a convincingly good performance by Grodin in this film, although he still radiates an aura, that he is not a young man, but more in his late-30s. He always had that older-look to him. I never felt "young" coming from the screen. The scene where he pretends to be from the Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotics, is classic Grodin though. Something he would master sixteen years later in Midnight Run (1988). It's his performance, that increases the pay-off in this film. Heartbreak Kid (1972), is a comedy, that makes you pull for the bad-guy, in this case, the scoundrel, cheating husband.
PMTM Grade: 7.3 (C+) = 7 IMDB.