Modern Romance (1981)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Albert Brooks

Writers (WGA):

Albert Brooks (written by) &
Monica Mcgowan Johnson (written by)

Release Date:

13 March 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Robert was madly in love with Mary. Mary was madly in love with him. Under the circumstances they did the only thing they could do... they broke up.

Plot:

Albert Brooks directs himself as a successful film editor with far too many issues that affects the relationship between he and his remarkably patient girlfriend.

Plot Keywords:

Film Making | Directed By Star | Sound Effect | Comedy Of Manners | Obsession

Cast

Albert Brooks	...	Robert Cole
Kathryn Harrold	...	Mary Harvard
Tyann Means	...	Waitress
Bruno Kirby	...	Jay
Jane Hallaren	...	Ellen
Karen Chandler	...	Neighbor
Dennis Kort	...	Health Food Salesman
Bob Einstein	...	Sporting Goods Salesman
Virginia Feingold	...	Bank Receptionist
Thelma Leeds	...	Albert Brooks' Mother (as Thelma Bernstein)
Candy Castillo	...	Drugstore Manager
James L. Brooks	...	David
George Kennedy	...	Himself and Zeron
Rick Beckner	...	Zeon
Jerry Belson	...	Jerry

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Idyllwild, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

According to Albert Brooks, Stanley Kubrick called him up after the movie came out and said told him he always wanted to do a film about jealousy. Later Kubrick made Eyes Wide Shut (1999), which explores the same theme.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Albert is high on Quaaludes, he puts on a record album and the disco hit "A Fifth of Beethoven" comes on. But watch the needle on the turntable - you can see the arm retracting and returning from the spindle while the music is playing.

Quotes:

Robert Cole: [selecting a prop for the space film he's working on] How much would you say this weighs?
Head Mixer: I don't know. Maybe it doesn't weigh anything - did you ever think of that? Maybe it's on one of those planets that doesn't have any gravity.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)

Soundtrack:

A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN

Albert Brooks' greatest film (and that's saying something)

MODERN ROMANCE is one of the great unsung film comedies. It's not for everyone, in that the comedy is possibly too close-to-the-bone for people who like their comedy nice and painless. But in the post-Seinfeld era, when Curb Your Enthusiasm is a cult favorite, it is looking more and more like Modern Romance was WAY ahead of its time.

Real Life, Lost In America, and Defending Your Life are all great, but for some reason this film stands out to me as Mr. Brooks' greatest cinematic effort. (Stanley Kubrick was a fan, too-- he was trying to make his own film about jealousy, which would end up being EYES WIDE SHUT two decades later.)

The real shame is that this film is the only Brooks effort never released on DVD. We can only hope that Criterion might rescue it from oblivion with a nice special edition (with commentary by Brooks!)