The delightfully odd Sheila Levine is the type of person that New York City thrives on, and for the shy but wonderful young Jewish girl from Harrisburg, getting away from her overbearing mother is a necessity so she can find herself. Jeannie Berlin is completely captivating as Sheila, reminding me immediately of her real life mother, Elaine May, yet quite her own person. The first scene has her showing her mother the filthy building she is moving into, as well as introducing her to the bohemian roommate who runs around in nothing but panties. An encounter at a party with confirmed bachelor Roy Schneider is a complete disappointment, but further meet ups with him bring on further feelings and amusing situations, particularly an enamored neighbor who has lesbian feelings for Sheila.
Okay, so I quickly got tired of the theme song "Love Me or Love People", but not knowing anything about the original book allowed me to judge the film on its own merits. Berlin should have been nominated for an Oscar for this (the 1975 best actress went to Louise Fletcher in a supporting role), a year with very few memorable female lead performances, but the film was an odd little artsy film that didn't do well. It's a fun slice of life black comedy with typical quirky 70's characters (especially with her coworkers at the children's record company where the office staff are the artists) and some great party sequences. I don't think it's the type of film I'd watch more than once, but I truly enjoyed it with no regrets about the two hour running time.
Okay, so I quickly got tired of the theme song "Love Me or Love People", but not knowing anything about the original book allowed me to judge the film on its own merits. Berlin should have been nominated for an Oscar for this (the 1975 best actress went to Louise Fletcher in a supporting role), a year with very few memorable female lead performances, but the film was an odd little artsy film that didn't do well. It's a fun slice of life black comedy with typical quirky 70's characters (especially with her coworkers at the children's record company where the office staff are the artists) and some great party sequences. I don't think it's the type of film I'd watch more than once, but I truly enjoyed it with no regrets about the two hour running time.