Author! Author! *** (1982, Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon, Tuesday Weld, Bob Dishy) – Classic Movie Review 9675

Director Arthur Hiller’s 1982 comedy Author! Author! Stars Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon, Tuesday Weld, and Bob Dishy, and has a screenplay by Israel Horovitz.

Although Al Pacino is odd casting (since he is not exactly at his best in comedy) as Ivan Travalian, a Broadway playwright paranoid over his wife Gloria (Tuesday Weld)’s infidelity, he does give the Sixties-style screwball fluff some real weight and interest. Likeable Canon, Weld and Dishy are on the plus side too.

Travalian is in stress city as his new play needs rewrites and his lead actress Alice Detroit (Canon) wants to move in with him but can’t cope with kids, a big problem since his wife is leaving him, along with her four children from her previous marriages and his own son. Problems! Problems!

Broadway playwright Neil Simon would admire the way Author! Author! uses farce to say something serious, and so would we, but unfortunately this only gets writer Horovitz into deep water, and Hiller isn’t strong enough to control the piece.

Muted applause! Muted applause!

It is at least a welcome change of pace and show of versatility for Pacino, sandwiched between Cruising and Scarface.

It is not really a million miles away from the 1960 Doris Day/ David Niven vehicle Please Don’t Eat the Daisies.

Also in the cast are Bob Elliott, Alan King, Eric Gurry, Andre Gregory, Ray Goulding, Ari Meyers, Eric Gurry, Elva Josephson [Elva Leff], B J Barie, Benjamin H. Carlin, Ken Sylk, James Tolkan, Tony Munafo, Reuben Singer, Rachael Horovitz, Matthew Horovitz and Richard Belzer.

Author! Author! is directed by Arthur Hiller, runs 110 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Israel Horovitz, is shot by Victor J Kemper, is produced by Irwin Winkler, is scored by Dave Grusin and is designed by Gene Rudolf.

Deathtrap is another 1982 movie about a playwright, but a very different kettle of fish.

Al Pacino celebrates his 80th birthday on 25 April 2020.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9675

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