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The Four Seasons (1981) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   1,736 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alan Alda
Writer:
Alan Alda (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Four Seasons on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
22 May 1981 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Tagline:
Here's to our friends... and the strength to put up with them.
Plot:
Three middle-aged wealthy couples take vacations together in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Along the way we are treated to mid-life... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
October 9: DVD alternatives to this weekend’s multiplex offerings
 (From FlickFilosopher. 9 October 2009, 2:46 PM, PDT)
Scenes We Love: The Four Seasons
 (From Cinematical. 13 April 2009, 4:02 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Never Reaches it's Peak more (28 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Alan Alda ... Jack Burroughs

Carol Burnett ... Kate Burroughs

Len Cariou ... Nick Callan
Sandy Dennis ... Anne Callan

Rita Moreno ... Claudia Zimmer
Jack Weston ... Danny Zimmer

Bess Armstrong ... Ginny Newley (Callan)
Elizabeth Alda ... Beth Burroughs
Beatrice Alda ... Lisa Callan
Robert Hitt ... Room Clerk
Kristi McCarthy ... Waitress
David Stackpole ... Doctor
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
107 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Iceland:L | Norway:12 | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Australia:M
Filming Locations:
Agnes Scott College - 141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia, USA more
Company:
Universal Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The scene where Alan Alda calls Carol Burnett "perfect" was not in the original script. Burnett asked for the scene to be added. more
Goofs:
Continuity: At the very beginning of "Autumn," we see leaves falling as a blue Mercedes sedan whooshes by (the camera catches the right side of the car) on a curvy road. All we see is the right side/front of what is very clearly a late '70s/early '80s S-class Mercedes (likely a 450 SEL or a turbodiesel variant of the same body style). However, in the next shot, the car shown is the same color, but very clearly a 300 class (300 Diesel or 300 Turbodiesel) model. The latter is used in all interior and exterior shots throughout the Autumn (at the Connecticut inn) and eventually sinks on thin ice in "Winter." more
Quotes:
Ginny: [about Anne] You know, I don't want to talk her down, but she is unreliable. I mean Nick has made three appointments to meet her down at his lawyer's office and she's never shown up. She hasn't even called.
Claudia Zimmer: Now wait a minute. No offense, Ginny, but twenty-one years ago Nick said he would be there on the other side of the bed every morning and for the last six months he hasn't kept his appointment either!
Jack: [flustered] Okay, look. Alright, alright. Let's calm down. It's not all that bad. It's just a little embarassing.
Nick: I don't see what the big problem is. We're all adults. We'll just say hello and uh...
Danny: Have a nervous breakdown.
Claudia Zimmer: [approaching Ginny] Ginny, I'm sorry. There is a lot of strain in the situation and I get passionate sometimes.
Ginny: [crying and sniffling] That's okay. I know you're just trying to be fair to everybody.
[Ginny walks away]
Claudia Zimmer: [to Nick] You're the one I wanted to make cry.
[Nick goes after Ginny]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
References Two Years Before the Mast (1946) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful.
Never Reaches it's Peak, 23 June 2003
Author: richard winters (rwint) from Chicago, Illinois

Very easygoing comedy-drama detailing three couples who all take a vacation together during each season of the year. As the seasons change so does the level of their friendship.

Certainly an interesting idea with lots of potential. The film shows a good handle on the 'politics' of friendship. How even the best of friendships can have underlying jealousy and misunderstandings. It also shows the tendency of how friends like to 'smooth' things over by putting on a happy face and never really getting to the issue.

It's also really refreshing in our youth obsessed culture to have a film focus solely on middle aged people and have them actually act the part. The situations and their responses to them seem authentic. There's also some terrific outdoor photography and a great classical music score by Vivaldi.

The problem with the film is that it is just too light. There is not enough conflict and it never reaches any dramatic peak. The dialogue needs to be much crisper and some of the little 'spats' seem forced. In the end the whole thing is just empty and extraneous.

Burnett is the real surprise here. Usually known for her over the top comedic performances she really puts together a very good low key dramatic one here. Weston though really steals the film with his somewhat hammy performance as Danny the dentist.

The film also features the worst rendition of "Strangers in the Night" that you will ever hear.

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