Starting Over (1979)
-
48% of users liked it
(1,307 ratings)
Scripted by James L. Brooks from Dan Wakefield's novel, Alan J. Pakula's romantic comedy follows the tribulations of a freshly divorced man as he looks for love with a wary single woman. Phil Potter (Burt Reynolds sans mustache) can't quite believe it when his aspiring songbird wife… More Scripted by James L. Brooks from Dan Wakefield's novel, Alan J. Pakula's romantic comedy follows the tribulations of a freshly divorced man as he looks for love with a wary single woman. Phil Potter (Burt Reynolds sans mustache) can't quite believe it when his aspiring songbird wife Jessica (Candice Bergen) kicks him out to realize her career dreams, but the added revelation of her adultery speeds him out the door by choice. Relocating to Boston, Phil starts to settle in with the help of his psychiatrist brother Mickey (Charles Durning), joining a divorced men's therapy group. Phil really begins to feel better when Mickey and his wife Marva (Frances Sternhagen) set him up with her friend Marilyn (Jill Clayburgh), a preschool teacher who has had her share of grief from newly single men. Phil wins her over and even convinces her to move in, but an unexpected visit from a regretful, saucily clad Jessica, and an anxiety attack over buying a couch, threaten to end Phil's new life with Marilyn before it has a chance to start. Starting Over offers a ruefully comic look at how the decade's rising divorce rate did not mean fun and games for all the new bachelors; Brooks' movie debut after a sparkling career in 1970s TV with The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi, it was also proof that top '70s star Reynolds could be more than just a good 'ol boy. Still, while the three leads were all praised for their work, only Clayburgh and Bergen received Oscar nominations. Starting Over was a moderate hit, and its humorous yet down-to-earth view of single life and its discontents reassured unattached thirtysomethings that, even though it may not be easy, everything could still turn out fine in modern romance. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
- Directed By
- Alan J. Pakula
- Genres
- Comedy, Romance
R,
- In Theaters
- Oct 5, 1979 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
-
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
A better story than you'd probably expect for a film of this kind of this vintage.
-
Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk.com
A whole lot better than most of the divorce-centric comedies of this ilk, mainly because it focuses on the characters and not the act of divorce itself.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Burt Reynolds
as Phil Potter
-
Jill Clayburgh
as Marilyn Holmberg
-
Candice Bergen
as Jessica Potter
-
Charles Durning
as Michael "Mickey" Potter
-
Frances Sternhagen
as Marva Potter
-
Austin Pendleton
as Paul
-
Macintyre Dixon
as Dan Ryan
-
Jay O Sanders
as Larry
-
Richard Whiting
as Everett
-
Sturgis Warner
as John Morganson
-
Kevin Bacon
as Husband (Young Couple)
-
Anne De Salvo
as Wife
-
Russell Horton
as Man #2
-
Charles Kimbrough
as Salesman
-
Tara King
as Checkout Girl
-
Marvin Lichterman
as Husband
-
Mort Marshall
as Room Service Waiter
-
Ian Alexander Martin
as Doorman
-
Gilmer McCormick
as Stephanie
-
Sol Schwade
as Man in Market
-
Wallace Shawn
as Workshop Member
-
Lisa Sloan
as Mother of Kid
-
Helen Stenborg
as Older Woman
-
A.C. Weary
as Athletic Father
-
Alfie Wise
as Workshop Member
- Mary Catherine Wright
-
Mary Kay Place
as Marie
-
Tony Romano
as Boston Man
-
Daniel Stern
as Student 2
-
Michael Herz & Llyod Kaufman
as Clerk
-
Simon McQueen
as Bloomingdale's Crowd
- Nadine Darling
- Kitty Muldoon
-
John Murray
as Bloomingdale's Couple
