The Woman in Red (1984)

That was an excellent one.

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Teddy is a middle-aged man who has a good wife, kids, friends, and a fine job. You could say that he has everything he wants; but he doesn't. One day he sees a gorgeous woman in a red dress, and becomes instantly infatuated with the model. He must have her...Gene Wilder is one of those actors you could watch reading the phone directory, he's warm, funny, and very convincing. So even when you know he has also written and directed this poor excuse for a film, you cannot help but enjoy it just a little, because he is magnetic on screen.So he becomes obsessed with Le Brock after she has danced on an air vent. That's the get up of the whole film, but it cannot decide whether its a spoof of romantic movies, a deprecating parody of promiscuity, or just an all out dumb comedy.The more serious tones of the film, like marriage break ups and loneliness, do not sit right in the film, and Le Brock proves that she is just a pretty face, she cannot act, and I doubt Seagal gave her lessons.All In all, it's more of a vanity project for Wilder, making him appear irresistible to a woman, who wouldn't look at another man his age.At least the soundtrack is good.

Back in 1984, when I was 35, I saw this movie and liked it very much. Watching it this time around, on cable, I almost turned it off after the first 20 minutes. And I began thinking...what was it that I liked about Gene Wilder? What is it about Gene Wilder that makes him seem so much more dated than actors from the 1940s? Ah well. But I didn't turn off the movie, and I was glad I didn't...with a few reservations. First, the reservations. Today we call Gene Wilder's actions in this film "stalking". We call some of the comments and actions by other male characters in the film "sexual harassment". And, Gilda Radner all but disappears halfway through the film. But worst of all, this film has to have one of the lousiest endings in cinema history. Does his marriage live or die? Very unsatisfactory.However, the movie also has its redeeming facets. A dignified gay character at a time when that was rare in American cinema. Some sentimental snippets about what friendship really is (along with some about what friendship isn't).The actors here are interesting, if not good. Gene Wilder was Gene Wilder; nothing new there; pleasant on screen. Kelly LeBrock as the super model; well, a rather short film career with little real depth. Gilda Radner was fun. Charles Grodin, whom I never saw as a "real" actor, comes off nicely here as the gay character that manages to hang onto straight friendships; Grodin was always a pleasant man to see on screen. Joseph Bologna...well, difficult to like the role, but he played it well. Judith Ivey as Wilder's wife...perhaps the best acting in the film.Dated, very imperfect, disappointing...but still worth a watch...one more time.

This movie came to mind out of a somewhat unrelated office conversation. I recall this movie as being lighthearted and funny. Wow, one of the reviews here was REALLY rough....As funny as cancer?? Wow. I'm not going to bash someone else's review, but I think everyone's had an infatuation at one time or another. And his attempt to "cheat" ....(was he daydreaming? I forget)....totally backfires in a comedy of errors. To say that this movie was blueprint for how to cheat on your wife is like saying Stripes was a blueprint for how to screw up in the army or Tootsie was a blueprint for how to cross-dress your way onto a soap opera. Kelly LeBrock was the it girl of the moment and the Stevie Wonder soundtrack kept the movie fun and upbeat.

The fine line between comedy and tragedy is on display in this picture. This is a truly vile film. Comedy? Not even close. The message of this film is that everybody's a lying cheat and will never learn from their mistakes. A truly tragic pronouncement.Maybe the language barrier affected this adaptation of its French source material. The cultural insulation films receive by way of subtitles might have made this sad mess hysterical. Find a print in which the actors speak Mandarin with English subtitles and let me know whether it's zany, OK? Never knew an alleged comedy could be so depressing.