Author! Author! (1982)

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

There are many roles and different actors who play them. Some roles are suited for them others, not. In this Isreal Horovitz's story, Arthur Hiller directs Al Pacino as a Broadway playwright, a role he should have passed. Despite all his great talent, this superb thespian barely attained credibility as Ivan Travalian. Here is a man who by his own admission, was an orphan. There too but for his own efforts, go his many children. Ivan is trying desperately to finish his latest play, while struggling to hold on to his philandering wife Gloria (Tuesday Weld). Personal struggles find him doing his best to understand his troubles, while knowing that what he is doing is the right thing. If that were not enough, with his wife leaving him, Ivan finds Solis in his choice for a leading lady Alice Detroit (Dyan Cannon) a woman who wants him, but not his mix of a family. The story is comedic in rendering, but serious in its nature. With the likes of a true comedy team like Bob and Ray and the late great Alan King, it becomes fascinating to await its outcome. A good story with an over-weight talent like Pacino is like trying to shoot a squirrel with a cannon. ***

I enjoyed this movie for what it was - a simple story about family. I found that it offered nothing unique it terms of plot, acting, etc. The on-again-off-again relationship between Ivan and his wife was unconvincing to me. I could not understand their motivations each time that they changed their opinion of each other, making the characters a little less believable. Also, I was expecting the movie to be funny - which it was not. Other than that, I enjoyed watching it for the nice sense of a strong family (even if it's a bit contrived) and how they handle adversity. I would not watch this film again, nor would I go out of my way to see it. However, if you have nothing better to do, and you just want to sit down, not think a whole lot, and be mildly entertained, then this is the movie for you.

Author!Author! is an enjoyable romantic comedy vehicle for Al Pacino, Which is lighter than his previous film 'Crusing' Pacino is perfectly cast as a struggling playwright, whose trying to get his first Broadway, play up and running,Pacino's wife played by (Tuesday Weld) decide's to leave him for another man which complicates matter's for Pacino,and children,which see's Pacino picking up the pieces,With hilarious results! Pacino, meets Hollywood actress (Dyan Cannon) who is cast in his play which soon becomes a smash, My Ownly complaint about this film is the terrible song 'coming home to you is like coming home to milk and cookie's Other than that, the film is fine,

The only reason I saw this movie, was because Al Pacino was starring in it. I'm a huge fan of him and I don't want to miss any of his movies. "Author! Author!" is a highly enjoyable comedy-drama about a family guy and his many kids. Al Pacino plays a writer of stage plays who is dealing with some personal problems with his wife which also affects his writing.Of course, "Author! Author!" isn't the best Al Pacino movie ever made, but it's certainly worth watching. This movie was a pleasant surprise. The director Arthur Hiller has also directed the timeless romantic classic "Love Story" with Ryan O'Neal. I think Al Pacino was worth his Golden Globe nomination.Fine and well acted comedy-drama.7,5/10