Really excellent comedy-drama (you can't call it a rom com) which was Charles Shyer's debut as director although Nancy Meyers' influence is all over it, with a strong female voice. The first half is a brilliant take off of Bogdanovich and Polly Platt and Cybill Shepherd (though Bogdanovich didn't invent the dumping the wife and taking up with the starlet, the film nails its colours to the mast with Ryan O'Neal playing a film academic, and Sam Wanamaker as a cultured Roger Corman type - though clearly dealing with bigger budgets than Corman).
People who "discovered" Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct clearly hadn't seen this - she's brilliant as the gorgeous, manic, vulnerable girl; great funny nude scene where she takes her top off easily, but the highlight is her singing in the Civil War epic (I did wish her character had given evidence at the trial... I guess she didn't have to story wise I just wanted to see more of her).
Ryan O'Neal is simply terrific, one of his best performances. He always does best against strong women and here he's got Sharon Stone and Shelley Long (Drew Barrymore doesn't give him a hard time). Long is fabulous too, likeable but not afraid to go for the self obsession.
Like Shyer-Meyer's earlier Private Benjamin the last third is actually quite serious. Ryan O'Neal and Shelley Long are such narcissists they parcel their kid off to the housekeeper (who doesn't have much personality in the film it must be said), using her as a weapon in their fights against each other, ear bashing their kid about the other, basically not caring for being so self absorbed. This is very well done - I mean it's still funny but also grounded in reality and pain. (I could see Bogdanovich and Platt being upset by this bit - I don't think they'd ever been accused of dreadful parenting.)
The pain and seriousness (it ends with them getting along not getting back together) are probably what held this back from being a big hit; maybe also it was too "in". But it's a great movie.
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