Girlfriends (1978)

Director:

Claudia Weill

Writer:

Vicki Polon

Stars:

Jane Anderson, Bob Balaban, Tanya Berezin

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jane Anderson	...	Omega Receptionist
Bob Balaban	...	Martin
Tanya Berezin	...	Rabbi's Wife
Adam Cohen	...	Bar Mitzvah Boy
Roderick Cook	...	Carpel
Regina David	...	Rabbi's Receptionist
Jean De Baer	...	Terry
Christopher Guest	...	Eric
Russell Horton	...	Photo Editor
Mike Kellin	...	Abe
Ted Lambert	...	Rabbi's Son
Viveca Lindfors	...	Beatrice
Stacey Lomoe-Smith	...	Rebecca
Melanie Mayron	...	Susan Weinblatt
Norma Mayron	...	Mrs. Weinblatt

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

single | friendship | insecurity | character study | roommate | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Girl friends

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cyclops

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stanley Kubrick raved about this film in an interview with Vicente Molina Fox, which was conducted during the production of The Shining, and named it his favorite film of 1978.

User Reviews

Pathbreaking, affecting film about a young woman coming into her own as a person and artist

In "Girlfriends," first-time writer-director Claudia Weill created a compelling depiction of a woman look at a woman growing, awkwardly and not without pain, into her adult life--that is, the life of an independent woman and artist in New York City. This film also offers what is inarguably one of cinema's most honest and insightful looks at the complex bonds between women, detailing with extraordinary sensitivity (and bits of quirky humor) the shifts, both small and seismic, that occur when one of the halves of a sustaining heterosexual female friendship effectively "leaves" to get married. The cinema verite quality one finds here may be in part a reflection of the tight budget and inexperience of a novice filmmaker, but it also gives the film an utterly compelling texture, something of the raw, uneven fabric of real life. Melanie Mayron (later "Melissa" on the ABC-TV series "ThirtySomething") gives an earnest, convincing, and touching portrayal of budding photographer Susan Weinblatt, a twenty-something woman learning to find her balance, to be true to herself, navigate a welter of complicated relationships, to deal with both loneliness and intimacy, and to come into her own as an artist. The film includes wonderful turns by Eli Wallach, playing the rabbi who oversees the bar mitzvahs Susan photo, and Viveca Lindfors as a New York gallery owner.