First Love (1977)

the leading man is my tpye

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Good concept, poorly executed.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

1977's "First Love" was a frank update of the kind of women's picture that began decades before (Harold Brodsky's original story was actually written in the 50s), but ultimately unsatisfying. William Katt follows his breakout hit "Carrie" by playing virginal college youth Elgin Smith, who instantly, and perhaps foolishly, falls in love at first sight with elegant upper class co-ed Caroline Hedges (Susan Dey), despite the presence of the older gentleman she's with (Robert Loggia), who turns out to be the lawyer business partner of her late father, a tragic suicide. A chance encounter the next day finds Elgin making an impression in clumsy fashion, and soon enough the pair are seeing each other regularly, until Loggia's reappearance with his wife (Virginia Leith) drives a tearful Caroline into Elgin's bed, for better or worse. One could describe the story as bittersweet, but surely that must be the fate of many such relationships, yet there is an underlying falseness driving Susan Dey's character that keeps us from liking her. This was Dey's starring feature debut, though a constant TV presence since THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY, achieving dramatic praise as an abusive mother later that same year in "Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night." In only her second feature film, sexy Beverly D'Angelo truly shines in the better role, as fun loving Shelley, girlfriend of Elgin's humorous neighbor David (John Heard), who's also going out with a deadly serious girl (June Barrett) who nearly catches him in bed with Shelley. Beverly (and Susan too) gets naked in Elgin's bed on her third attempt to score with him, but he subconsciously blurts out Caroline's name, spoiling the mood. Shelley confesses that she believes that she's in love with unserious David, so it's a genuine surprise when the two actually get together to make a go of marriage. It's almost too bad that their story is secondary, but William Katt shows that he could carry a film, especially one lacking a strong trustful ending. A rare appearance for Cleveland-born Virginia Leith, the same actress who achieved cult status in her previous movie "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," but would retire for good by 1980.

College guy William Katt falls in love with the "older woman" Susan Dey, who is actually 2 years younger. Katt was 25 and Dey was 23 when this was filmed in 1976. Some nice views of Reed College in 1976.It's supposed to be his first romance, but for a guy who's saving himself for real love, he has an odd knack for cringe-worthy pillow-talk about whether or not he makes her "come." It's totally inappropriate in such a new relationship. Someone had been reading too much Cosmopolitan! Dey makes a weird pillow-talk speech about a Bactrian camel sticking its tongue out in the snow.They have an extended love scene which is by far the high point of the film - Dey gets naked. Dey takes Katt to her house in the country, where they make love again. Then she gets a 5-second call from her older married lover, and out of the blue tells Katt she can't see him any more.After the booty call with the married man, she wants to get back together but Katt says it's over, and you can't blame him - she's pretty, but unfaithful and slightly nuts. He puts her on a train, to where is not known or explained - she's supposed to live in the area after all. Katt goes to a zoo and visits a Bactian camel in the snow.

William Katt, hot off his star-jock role in "Carrie", failed to build upon his growing momentum with this extremely tepid affair, romancing an emotionally fragile college girl (Susan Dey) whose rocky childhood may keep her from trusting a man. Director Joan Darling, she riding high from the success of TV's "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman", gives us two good-looking kids, a lot of frank sex talk, but not much else. The picture has a scrubbed-clean look--like a sappy weeper straight out of the 1950s--and a scenario undermined by simpering simplicity. Energetic cast including Beverly D'Angelo, Robert Loggia and John Heard can't keep it from lapsing into blandness. * from ****

William Katt is very cute as a sweet and naive college student learning about love and sex for the first time. The director does a good job conveying this simplicity as the overall motif for the film. A very appropriate Cat Stevens soundtrack also contributes to the proceedings. Susan Dey is quite good as Katt's older-woman love interest. Then, just when the film has us in its grip, it lets us go in an ending of meaningless platitudes. I still liked it overall, but felt a bit let down with the unimaginitve ending.