Same Time, Next Year (1978)

A man and woman meet by chance at a romantic inn over dinner. Although both are married to others, they find themselves in the same bed the next morning questioning how this could have ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Bernard Slade (play), Bernard Slade (screenplay)

Stars:

Ellen Burstyn, Alan Alda, Ivan Bonar

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ellen Burstyn	...	Doris
Alan Alda	...	George Peters
Ivan Bonar	...	Chalmers
Bernie Kuby	...	Waiter
Cosmo Sardo	...	Second Waiter
David Northcutt	...	Pilot #1
William Cantrell	...	Pilot #2

Storyline

A man and woman meet by chance at a romantic inn over dinner. Although both are married to others, they find themselves in the same bed the next morning questioning how this could have happened. They agree to meet on the same weekend each year. Originally a stage play, the two are seen changing, years apart, always in the same room in different scenes. Each of them always appears on schedule, but as time goes on each has some personal crisis that the other helps them through, often without both of them understanding what is going on.

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Plot Keywords:

inn | farce | guilt | hotel | impotence | 

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Taglines:

They couldn't have celebrated happier anniversaries if they were married to each other.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 1979 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Même heure, l'année prochaine

Filming Locations:

Little River, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirisch Corporation, The, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was made and released about three years after its source play of the same name by Bernard Slade was first performed in 1975. It premiered in November 1978 about two-and-a-half months after the Broadway season closed. "Same Time, Next Year" was the first stage play written by Slade.

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Goofs

Throughout the movie, there are several times where the couple places logs in the fireplace and starts a fire. During the last meeting, George starts the fire and places the screen back in front of the fireplace. Within seconds, the fire is blazing strong.

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Quotes

George: Did you know we've made love 113 times?
Doris: What?
George: I figured that out on my Bowmar calculator.

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Connections

References Jaws (1975)

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Soundtracks

"The Last Time I Felt Like This"
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Performed by Johnny Mathis and Jane Olivor

User Reviews

Witty and Ironic!

Robert Mulligan (Summer of '42, To Kill a Mockingbird) has directed some great movies. I love Summer of ‘42, and have watched it several times. The movie at hand has the same bitter sweet and melancholic mood to it. I just love the writing of Bernard Slade because it is witty and ironic. The same moment the audience feels what George, played by Alan Alda (Jake's Women, Everyone Says I Love You) and Doris, Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist, How to Make an American Quilt) are doing is wrong, the audience loves the characters because they are so cute, funny, and saying those great lines. It is ironic how as George keeps saying how wrong it is and keeps lying to Doris about how many kids he has, the more entangled he gets with his big sin. She is a Catholic girl who is dealing with her guiltiness in a very secretive way. Much like Forest Gump this movie takes us through a journey in history and it made me think about the years that I lived through and learned more about the years before I was born. All those images with the background of original music by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Oscar winners Alan and Marilyn Bergman (Summer of ‘42, Yentl). For some reason I always thought that the writer was Neil Simon (The Goodbye Girl, Jake's Women). My guess is because stylistically this movie has a Neil Simon feel. Another reason is because all those New York veterans like Alda and Burstyn are leading characters. The acting is superb. The music is great. Everything about this movie touched my soul, regardless of the adulterous relationship. Both characters adored their families and became confidants throughout the years. I was moved by the scene where George's son died he found Doris arms to cry in when he did not even cry at the son's funeral. This is both sad, sweet and ironic. This movie has so many great lines that I could not pick all the ones I liked, but I am going to just quote one small dialogue that I liked. George: "Why do you have to look so luminous?" Doris: " God just figured that chubby tights were enough." Favorite Scenes: When George cries because his favorite son dies in Vietnam; their last meeting in their movie after Helen died. This is a very touching movie.