Hold on tight, I am going on a bit of a rant. "The Goodbye Girl" was a very frustrating movie for me to watch. While it's clearly a very good film and I liked Richard Dreyfus' character very much, the writing irritated me as it seemed a bit irresponsible.
My problem is with Marsha Mason's character. The film begins and her live-in has apparently dumped her--moving out and leaving a 'Dear Jane' letter (nice guy, huh?). You feel a bit sorry for her until you soon learn that this bum was STILL married and she knew it! And, she'd been married once before. Now it's obvious she's not good at making decisions involving guys. BUT, here's what really bothered me...she had a young daughter and seemed to have no problem with her kid seeing all this chaos. And, in a weird twist, the little girl sounds like the mother--dispensing wisdom and rolling with the punches. And, Mason often seemed to expect her kid to parent her--making her feel good about herself when bad things happen. Considering how wildly popular the film was, obviously most folks didn't feel the way I did. I just found her character difficult to like and the film could have been better had she had failed relationships BUT they were not caused by her own stupidity. Sleeping with a married man?! What man would want a lady like this? To me, this does NOT seem to be the makings for a romantic film! It's sad, really, as the rest of the film was excellent. Richard Dreyfus was exceptional and I could see why he got the Oscar--he was likable but flawed and quite charming. Mason, on the other hand, seemed like an emotional basket-case in need of saving--not a woman a reasonable man would want in his life. So, as a result of loving and hating the film, I was left VERY emotionally torn--frustrated and touched at the same time (which is a very strange feeling!). Well worth seeing but I can't help but wonder if folks watching the film internalized this weird message and perhaps thought Mason's parenting wasn't that bad and might have unconsciously emulated this. Kids need a lot more security in their lives than the one in this film got. It sure seemed like a case of child neglect in order for the mother to make herself feel good.
My problem is with Marsha Mason's character. The film begins and her live-in has apparently dumped her--moving out and leaving a 'Dear Jane' letter (nice guy, huh?). You feel a bit sorry for her until you soon learn that this bum was STILL married and she knew it! And, she'd been married once before. Now it's obvious she's not good at making decisions involving guys. BUT, here's what really bothered me...she had a young daughter and seemed to have no problem with her kid seeing all this chaos. And, in a weird twist, the little girl sounds like the mother--dispensing wisdom and rolling with the punches. And, Mason often seemed to expect her kid to parent her--making her feel good about herself when bad things happen. Considering how wildly popular the film was, obviously most folks didn't feel the way I did. I just found her character difficult to like and the film could have been better had she had failed relationships BUT they were not caused by her own stupidity. Sleeping with a married man?! What man would want a lady like this? To me, this does NOT seem to be the makings for a romantic film! It's sad, really, as the rest of the film was excellent. Richard Dreyfus was exceptional and I could see why he got the Oscar--he was likable but flawed and quite charming. Mason, on the other hand, seemed like an emotional basket-case in need of saving--not a woman a reasonable man would want in his life. So, as a result of loving and hating the film, I was left VERY emotionally torn--frustrated and touched at the same time (which is a very strange feeling!). Well worth seeing but I can't help but wonder if folks watching the film internalized this weird message and perhaps thought Mason's parenting wasn't that bad and might have unconsciously emulated this. Kids need a lot more security in their lives than the one in this film got. It sure seemed like a case of child neglect in order for the mother to make herself feel good.