Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) Reviews

• Under-rated classic.

  bigpappa1--22000-05-24

  Diane Keaton stars as a first grade teacher for deaf students by day. And at night she is a player at single's bars seeking sexual gratification. When this came out critic's ratings were very mixed. But I can tell you, it is very well acted and very well made. And even though it is a bit overlong, it remains a fascinating portrait from the start all the way to its shocking and disturbing ending. By the way, Tuesday Weld is excellent, and makes very effective use of her limited screen time. Rating 9 out of 10.

• Cautionary tale holds up over time

  mollylane2001-03-31

  Few viewers can deny the impact of this film – on the '77 crowd and generations afterwards. As a curious 8-year-old up late watching HBO, I never forgot the story or the lesson. Based on a true story, Richard Brooks astutely translated Judith Rossner's best-selling novel to screen, choosing a luminous Diane Keaton, hot off `Annie Hall' and `The Godfather' to play Theresa Dunn, an up-and-coming Richard Gere, a quirky Tuesday Weld , and amazing Richard Kiley as Dunn, the overbearing Irish-Catholic father. The misogynistic Richard Atherton and an ominous Tom Berenger rounds out the solid cast. Neither traditionally beautiful like her stewardess sister, Katherine or a baby factory like her other sister living at home with her, Theresa is the odd one out, the sister who is searching for approval from a father who barely acknowledges her existence. Childhood traumas mold her and make the fact that Theresa allows herself to be strong and fallible all the more powerful and endearing. Tired of her father's unyielding rule, Theresa moves into the apartment building owned by Katherine's next attempt at a husband. As the women's freedom movement is underway, Theresa is caught in the position of questioning the traditional roles for women, roles against a new woman in control of her body and her sexuality. By day she teaches at a school for the deaf. By night her nightly jaunts into New York's seamier nightlife scene, expose the dichotomy of being a professional woman by day who must maintain credibility and responsibility, especially with young children while trying to be sexually active, experimental and suffering the stigma attached to both – as whore and as a free woman – wanting purely physical experiences much the same as men, yet realizing the label is different. Throughout this film, Brooks explores Theresa's perpetual search for acceptance by men but a need to maintain her own identity. From a failed affair with a Prof. she was a TA to, to her fling with Tony, a local hustler, Theresa is perpetually in question of her sexuality and her allure for men, making poor choices in her partners only to endure their violence and possessiveness - much like her father. That she meets up with a homicidal drifter the New Year's Eve night she has decided to quit drugs and cruising, is the irony of her self-discovery. The only positive male in her life appears to be is LaVar Burton's character, Cap Jackson, –the sullen brother of one of Theresa's students. He is the only male presence in the movie that is not malevolent or trying to extract something from Theresa and during her altercation with Tony at the school, he is the only person to defend and protect her. While the scare of AIDS stole later generations' promiscuity, this tale still resonates for viewers, especially for women on their own, looking for intimacy yet craving isolation. While the ending tends to drag with one too many drug scenes the movie still packs a wallop for a finale.

• Great performances, classic 70's cinema.

  humanoidzombie2005-04-26

  Will they PLEASE release this on DVD! As of now, it's only available on PAN/SCAN VHS. ....Diane Keaton reinvents herself, going astray from her Annie Hall persona. Her character is complex and it's entertaining to watch her evolve or de-evolve. The mood is classic gritty 70's. Sometimes funny, sometimes sexy, sometimes bleak. ...The ending is of course what will stick with you forever. It's hard to tell what director Richard Brooks wanted to say with this, but none the less, it's a good ride. Highly recommended. Apparently it created quite a stir when it came out, and even today, critics like Leonard Maltin still bring it down saying it's lewd and pointless. You be the judge. Like it or not it's still a good period piece, showing the seedier side of one young woman's life in the city. I can't wait to get this and watch it again -- if the studio ever gets the nerve to release it. I give it a good 9/10.

• Not for everyone

  grybop2001-07-29

  I saw this film last year and I was completely blown away. It's amazing to see how meticulously Theresa's double life has been put together. The scenes are tightly knit in such a way as to not only emphasize the differences between Theresa's multiple roles (patient and kind teacher, lover of many, disco-freak, junkie) but also to steadily bring the story to an unforgettable climax. Diane Keaton is great in a demanding role and should have been nominated for an Academy award. This is a masterpiece about the complexity of the human soul - although I don't think it has been / will ever be appreciated by many. Conventional life leaders, stay away, you won't even begin to understand this. 10

• A MEMORABLE ONE OF A KIND FILM.DIANE KEATON IS SUPERB

  theeht2000-09-27

  DIANE KEATON IS MAGNIFICENT IN RICHARD BROOKS' OUTSTANDING ADAPTATION OF JUDITH ROSSNER'S NOVEL. A quarter of a century later, this unforgettable film still packs quite a wallop. Only slightly dated,it's the story of a sexually repressed, disabled young Roman Catholic girl and her sexual awakening in the wild '70s. In virtually every scene, Keaton gives one of the greatest performances in film history. Aided by a great soundtrack and superb support from Tuesday Weld and Richard Kiley, the film also features the breakthrough performances by Richard Gere and Tom Berenger, destined to become two of our biggest actors of the '80s. You'll never forget them, especially Berenger in an offbeat role that was quite a risk for an up-and-coming actor. Like it or hate it, you've got to admit there has never been a film like this on the screen.