The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

Three days into his Miami honeymoon, New York Jewish Lenny meets tall, blonde Kelly. This confirms him in his opinion that he has made a serious mistake and he decides he wants Kelly ... See full summary »

Director:

Elaine May

Writers:

Bruce Jay Friedman (story "A Change of Plan"), Neil Simon (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, Jeannie Berlin

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Grodin	...	Lenny Cantrow
Cybill Shepherd	...	Kelly Corcoran
Jeannie Berlin	...	Lila Kolodny
Audra Lindley	...	Mrs. Corcoran
Eddie Albert	...	Mr. Corcoran
Mitchell Jason	...	Cousin Ralph
William Prince	...	Colorado Man
Augusta Dabney	...	Colorado Woman
Doris Roberts	...	Mrs. Cantrow
Marilyn Putnam	...	Mrs. Kolodny
Jack Hausman	...	Mr. Kolodny
Erik Lee Preminger	...	Pecan Pie Waiter
Art Metrano	...	Entertainer
Tim Browne	...	Kelly's Boyfriend
Jean Scoppa	...	Flower Girl

Storyline

Three days into his Miami honeymoon, New York Jewish Lenny meets tall, blonde Kelly. This confirms him in his opinion that he has made a serious mistake and he decides he wants Kelly instead. Her rich father is less than keen and lets everyone - including Lenny - know that he hates everything about him and the way he is going on.

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Plot Keywords:

beach | jewish | vacation | honeymoon | marriage | 

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Taglines:

Elaine May Directed It. Neil Simon Wrote It. Bruce Jay Friedman Conceived It.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Neil Simon's The Heartbreak Kid

Filming Locations:

Doral Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$12,208,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palomar Pictures International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The remake of this movie The Heartbreak Kid (2007) starring Ben Stiller was made and released around 35 years after this film.

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Goofs

When he parks his car at the beginning of the movie, the parking ticket mysteriously appears on his windshield immediately after he gets out.

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Quotes

Lila Kolodny: Are you glad we waited?
Lenny Cantrow: I'm glad we waited.
Lila Kolodny: Well, we have the rest of our lives, 40, 50, 60, 100 years.

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Connections

Featured in Father Ted: Unintelligent Design (2011)

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Soundtracks

She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by Charles Grodin and Jeannie Berlin in the car

User Reviews

Hilarious

I only saw this movie a couple of years ago. I always avoided it at the video store because of the name, I assumed it must be about a little kid, something like The Champ or Lucas, nothing wrong with those kinds of movies, just not my cup of tea. But I happened to read about it in one of Leonard Maltins books, he called it one of the best comedies of the 70s, and very dark for it's time. So I rented it and loved it. I think it's pretty dark even by todays standards, Charles Grodins character is likeable in an odd way, but he's also two faced and deceitful, not to mention downright cruel to his new bride. I don't know of many actors that could have played this better than Charles Grodin, this was certainly his best role. In his biography he wrote that he recognizes the brilliance of the film, but he hated playing such a cruel character. The thing is, the character never intends to be cruel, he just can't seem to help it, lying and selfishness are just second nature to him. If your like me, you'll find yourself laughing and cringing at the same time. The ending is just perfection, he has seemingly attained what he wanted, the thing that he has lied and cheated and hurt other people to get, yet he seems to already be tired of it and longing for what he already had. At least that's my take on it, it's open to interpretation. This movie may not be for everybody, but if you like dark comedies, you should check it out.