Sep 4, 2010

Barefoot in the park (1967)

 I finally watched this film starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. Based on Neil Simon's play, the movie is about a girl --hereafter "The Kook"-- who marries a kind of serious lawyer and then regrets it because he's so serious and she's such a kook. Ok?
The Kook is really hyperventilating in every scene, being all over Redford every second, jumping and running, being friendly with everyone, and going out with strangers, and renting the smallest apartment ever, and setting blind dates for her mom with an eccentric neighbor who just met (don't worry, he's Charles Boyer). To sum up, she's on the ball for 106 minutes (we have the same idiom in Chile, "estar arriba de la pelota").

And Jane Fonda is perfect as the Kook. She looks great and makes her character really believable, oozing energy from the beginning to the end. She steals the movie. The only problem is that her relationship with Redford's character is not really believable. I mean, even if you're such a kook you must notice that your poor partner is not, and that he doesn't like to walk barefoot in the park, and he doesn't love to have a big hole in the ceiling when it is snowing. So why are you dramatically reacting in the middle of the movie to his serious way to looking to life? And you, serious lawyer, just noticed that you married Holly Golightly 2.0.? Uh?

Barefoot in the park

Anyway, there are some really entertaining scenes and some very funny little characters (like the man from the telephone company). Being in the sixties, expect a lot of sexy lines and sexy hints (when you are used to watch really old movies, the absence of the stiff censorship kind of shocks you).  Also, it's fun to watch Charles Boyer solidly playing the Albanian neighbor and the "Shama, shama" song is so catchy that you will hear it in your head for days and days...


A light-very-sixtie's-comedy to watch when you don't want to think very much.

6 comments:

  1. Great post! I think their relationship started because of them being such opposites. Like one brought into the other life what they didnt have so in Robert Redford's case, Jane Fonda brought the fun into his life and he brought the serious and level headed attitude to hers. Once they are married they realize that its difficult to live which such an opposite, but later realize thats what brought them together and what they like about each other. it was just hard for them to see it at the time. I could be wrong, but its just a theory.

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  2. I really love this film! I think Jane Fonda is so adorable and this is the first movie where I totally fell in love with Robert Redford. I have to admit, it's kind of like my relationship with my husband (although definitely not that exaggerated!) so I identified with their relationship!


    iamemmamusic.blogspot.com

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  3. Thanks girls for sharing your thoughts :) Lexie, good theory. I just found difficult to believe the scene when she starts complaining about how is he when he's drunk and then all of the sudden she says she want the divorce!
    Emma, I just noticed it was one of your favorites reading your interview over Sally's site :) So you're The Kook, uh?? :P

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  4. Me encanta ésta peli y siempre me pone de muy buen humor. La madre de ella es divertidisima. Y ellos están guapisimos. :-))

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  5. Thanks girls for sharing your thoughts :) Lexie, good theory. I just found difficult to believe the scene when she starts complaining about how is he when he's drunk and then all of the sudden she says she want the divorce!
    Emma, I just noticed it was one of your favorites reading your interview over Sally's site :) So you're The Kook, uh?? :P

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really love this film! I think Jane Fonda is so adorable and this is the first movie where I totally fell in love with Robert Redford. I have to admit, it's kind of like my relationship with my husband (although definitely not that exaggerated!) so I identified with their relationship!


    iamemmamusic.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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