Old Boyfriends ** (1979, Talia Shire, Richard Jordan, John Belushi, Keith Carradine, John Houseman, Buck Henry) – Classic Movie Review 6474

Talia Shire enjoyed working with John Belushi on Old Boyfriends (1979) and told him he was a great actor when not using drugs, and wanted to work with him again. Belushi didn’t enjoy his role, and never saw the movie.

Director Joan Tewkesbury’s 1979 film Old Boyfriends tells the probing tale of a Los Angeles clinical psychologist who comes through divorce, a breakdown and attempted suicide, and visits old boyfriends to try to come to terms with her life.

Talia Shire is tested in the difficult lead role of psychologist Dianne Cruise, but there are several outstanding support performances, while Paul Schrader’s and Leonard Schrader’s screenplay is carefully planned and attentive to the details of both situation and character. Old Boyfriends also stars Richard Jordan as Jeff Turrin, John Belushi as Eric Katz, Keith Carradine as Wayne Van Til, John Houseman as Doctor Hoffman, and Buck Henry as Art Kopple.

Joan Tewkesbury (screen-writer on Robert Altman’s Thieves Like Us and Nashville) makes a decent directorial début, but experience might have helped her improve both the film’s pace and texture.

Also in the cast are Bethel Leslie, Nina Jordan, Gerrit Graham, P J Soles, Joan Hotchkis, William Bassett, Murphy Dunne, Jon Cutler and Barry Michlin.

The main part played by Shire was originally written for a man.

Belushi sent his wife Judy in his place to the New York City premiere, saying he didn’t enjoy his role, but she came home praising the movie, which Belushi never saw.

Shire enjoyed working with Belushi and told him he was a great actor when not using drugs and wanted to work with him again.

The film cost $2.5 million plus $0.5 million in deferments, and was made without a distribution deal, but was released by AVCO Embassy Pictures.

Talia Shire’s then husband David Shire (born July 3, 1937) wrote the score.

Talia Shire was born Talia Rose Coppola in Lake Success, New York, in 1946. Her son Matthew Orlando Shire is the child of her first marriage to David Shire. Her other sons, actors/ musicians Jason and Robert, are from her second marriage, to the film producer Jack Schwartzman.

Old Boyfriends runs 103 minutes, is made by Pressman Film, is released by AVCO Embassy Pictures, is written by Paul Schrader, Leonard Schrader and Joan Tewkesbury (uncredited re-writes) is shot in Technicolor by William A Fraker, produced by Paul Schrader, Edward R Pressman and Michele Rappaport, and scored by David Shire.

It was released on April 13, 1979.

The cast are Talia Shire as Dianne Cruise, Richard Jordan as Jeff Turrin, Keith Carradine as Wayne Van Til, John Belushi as Eric Katz, John Houseman as Doctor Hoffman, Buck Henry as Art Kopple, Nina Jordan as Dylan Turrin, Gerrit Graham as Sam the Fisherman, P J Soles as Sandy, Bethel Leslie as Mrs Van Til, Joan Hotchkis as Pamela Shaw, William Bassett as David Brinks, Murphy Dunne as Keyboard Player, Jon Cutler and Barry Michlin.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6474

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