Most known as an "Actresses director" and with a long career in Hollywood George Cukor made in 1981 "Rich and Famous" his last film. Compared to some of his classics such as "Born Yesterday" and "My Fair Lady" and other of his positive filmography this movie is quite disappointing and a mediocre swan song for a brilliant career. And despite the names of Candice Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset among the main characters both actresses are not that well considering that Cukor directed several Oscar winning performances (that includes the rehearsals he made with Vivien Leigh and all the casting of "Gone With the Wind").
I think that much of my dislike is because of the strange screenplay based on a play written by John Van Druten. It is awkward at some points, it never fully allows an interesting presentation of characters, many of them appear and disappear out of nowhere, the focus in only Bisset's character made the film with one track to follow and the title is about the two friends and nothing is really well developed. And that might have ruined the acting of the cast (except for Hart Bochner who is quite good) and even worst perhaps the casting director didn't work well and made some unfortunate mistakes.
The story of two great friends (played by Bisset and Bergen), their happy and sad moments; their affection for the same man (David Selby) who married with one of them and was in love by the other; also focuses on their search for love, happiness, comprehension, sex, success, and everything that humans wants or do.
Just like any other classic of the genre these friends are always disagreeing in some things, and their discussions are excessive, sometimes meaningless, other times it just makes you falling asleep. But despite all that it is a good effort from director Cukor, who actually made an impressive and surprising thing here. Although he was part of an old school tradition of directors he really made a 1980's movie, exploring good sexual scenes, something inexistent during most of the time he directed some of the most important classics of all time.
I didn't learn anything with the plot except that writers are so sentimental about awards (Bergen's character infuriated for sharing an award she received along with another writer) and about their friends starting a career as...writers!
If you like all the people involved in this film watch it, you might enjoy more than I did. It was a good chance to see a very young Meg Ryan in her first film appearance as the troubled daughter of Bergen. 6/10.
I think that much of my dislike is because of the strange screenplay based on a play written by John Van Druten. It is awkward at some points, it never fully allows an interesting presentation of characters, many of them appear and disappear out of nowhere, the focus in only Bisset's character made the film with one track to follow and the title is about the two friends and nothing is really well developed. And that might have ruined the acting of the cast (except for Hart Bochner who is quite good) and even worst perhaps the casting director didn't work well and made some unfortunate mistakes.
The story of two great friends (played by Bisset and Bergen), their happy and sad moments; their affection for the same man (David Selby) who married with one of them and was in love by the other; also focuses on their search for love, happiness, comprehension, sex, success, and everything that humans wants or do.
Just like any other classic of the genre these friends are always disagreeing in some things, and their discussions are excessive, sometimes meaningless, other times it just makes you falling asleep. But despite all that it is a good effort from director Cukor, who actually made an impressive and surprising thing here. Although he was part of an old school tradition of directors he really made a 1980's movie, exploring good sexual scenes, something inexistent during most of the time he directed some of the most important classics of all time.
I didn't learn anything with the plot except that writers are so sentimental about awards (Bergen's character infuriated for sharing an award she received along with another writer) and about their friends starting a career as...writers!
If you like all the people involved in this film watch it, you might enjoy more than I did. It was a good chance to see a very young Meg Ryan in her first film appearance as the troubled daughter of Bergen. 6/10.