A gentle, wistful comedy that plays with audience expectations as much as the fates of its many characters, "They All Laughed" is a hard film to characterize but a pleasure to watch for those of us who remember its central character, the island of Manhattan, way back when.
The plot, after much ambling, centers on a trio of stalkers who work at the Odyssey Detective Agency, circa 1980. They have been hired to watch over a pair of ladies suspected of straying by their suspicious husbands. We figure out well into the movie that the detectives themselves are the very people unknowingly threatening these troubled unions.
The 1930s introduced the "remarriage comedy;" this could be called a "demarriage comedy." Film lovers will find much to enjoy here. As romantic comedies go, it's not an especially funny or clever film, but "They All Laughed" remains amusing throughout and quite engaging with its idiosyncratic pacing and quirky characters.
Would this film pack the same punch without the tragic death of co-lead actress Dorothy Stratten just after filming wrapped? I suspect not. Like the World Trade Center, which figures in the background of several scenes, Stratten's Delores character makes for an arresting central image that's hard to miss, as much as you wish otherwise. This ices some of the humor but adds resonance about the passage of time.
As far as the film's premise is concerned, a character that no doubt echoes director Peter Bogdanovich blurts out: "I don't know what I'm going to do!"
Ben Gazzara's lead character, John Russo, replies: "Who does?"
Gazzara is the center of the film, his quiet authority suggestive of Frank Sinatra whose songs permeate the eclectic score. He speaks in koans much of the time, and this can be annoying, except he seems plugged into a sort of wisdom "They All Laughed" espouses.
"I'm a charmer," is how he introduces himself, and he is.
It's enjoyable watching him trade lines with Odyssey's other two detectives, played by John Ritter and Blaine Novak. Likable romantic foil Ritter does a lot of physical humor, not far removed from his Jack Tripper character on TV's then-hit sitcom "Three's Company," while Novak, a total blank to me, sticks out with his wild hair and goofy patois.
"Look at it this way, Chas, she's in pre-bop with the boyfriend, she's in post-bop with the husband," he says. "If she gets into post-bop with the boyfriend, she'll be in ex-bop with the husband, the case is over, we get paid, and well, then it's every man for himself."
Is Bogdanovich too self-indulgent, too in love with Stratten, too caught up in the moment to explain to us the audience what's going on? Yes, and for 45 minutes we have no dialogue to tell us what it is we are supposed to be watching. But that same reticence becomes a kind of magic when you watch the film again and see how things flow so well. The challenge is sticking with this movie enough to watch it once, let alone multiple times. But it's a pretty fun ride once you make that effort.
Bogdanovich calls this his personal favorite of his films, which I can't relate to. "What's Up Doc?" is a far funnier romantic comedy, for one thing. But "They All Laughed," with its springtime visions of Broadway, Rockefeller Center, and Audrey Hepburn saying little but holding our attention as she crosses Fifth Avenue looking like a cross between Yoko Ono and Jackie O, makes you care despite your understandable confusion. Like Gazzara's character, it's a charmer.
The plot, after much ambling, centers on a trio of stalkers who work at the Odyssey Detective Agency, circa 1980. They have been hired to watch over a pair of ladies suspected of straying by their suspicious husbands. We figure out well into the movie that the detectives themselves are the very people unknowingly threatening these troubled unions.
The 1930s introduced the "remarriage comedy;" this could be called a "demarriage comedy." Film lovers will find much to enjoy here. As romantic comedies go, it's not an especially funny or clever film, but "They All Laughed" remains amusing throughout and quite engaging with its idiosyncratic pacing and quirky characters.
Would this film pack the same punch without the tragic death of co-lead actress Dorothy Stratten just after filming wrapped? I suspect not. Like the World Trade Center, which figures in the background of several scenes, Stratten's Delores character makes for an arresting central image that's hard to miss, as much as you wish otherwise. This ices some of the humor but adds resonance about the passage of time.
As far as the film's premise is concerned, a character that no doubt echoes director Peter Bogdanovich blurts out: "I don't know what I'm going to do!"
Ben Gazzara's lead character, John Russo, replies: "Who does?"
Gazzara is the center of the film, his quiet authority suggestive of Frank Sinatra whose songs permeate the eclectic score. He speaks in koans much of the time, and this can be annoying, except he seems plugged into a sort of wisdom "They All Laughed" espouses.
"I'm a charmer," is how he introduces himself, and he is.
It's enjoyable watching him trade lines with Odyssey's other two detectives, played by John Ritter and Blaine Novak. Likable romantic foil Ritter does a lot of physical humor, not far removed from his Jack Tripper character on TV's then-hit sitcom "Three's Company," while Novak, a total blank to me, sticks out with his wild hair and goofy patois.
"Look at it this way, Chas, she's in pre-bop with the boyfriend, she's in post-bop with the husband," he says. "If she gets into post-bop with the boyfriend, she'll be in ex-bop with the husband, the case is over, we get paid, and well, then it's every man for himself."
Is Bogdanovich too self-indulgent, too in love with Stratten, too caught up in the moment to explain to us the audience what's going on? Yes, and for 45 minutes we have no dialogue to tell us what it is we are supposed to be watching. But that same reticence becomes a kind of magic when you watch the film again and see how things flow so well. The challenge is sticking with this movie enough to watch it once, let alone multiple times. But it's a pretty fun ride once you make that effort.
Bogdanovich calls this his personal favorite of his films, which I can't relate to. "What's Up Doc?" is a far funnier romantic comedy, for one thing. But "They All Laughed," with its springtime visions of Broadway, Rockefeller Center, and Audrey Hepburn saying little but holding our attention as she crosses Fifth Avenue looking like a cross between Yoko Ono and Jackie O, makes you care despite your understandable confusion. Like Gazzara's character, it's a charmer.