Girlfriends (1978)

A photographer and her girlfriend are roommates. She is stuck with small-change shooting jobs and dreams of success. When her roommate decides to get married and leave, she feels hurt and has to learn how to deal with living alone.

Director:

Claudia Weill

Writers:

Claudia Weill (story), Vicki Polon (story)

Stars:

Melanie Mayron, Eli Wallach, Adam Cohen

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melanie Mayron	...	Susan Weinblatt
Eli Wallach	...	Rabbi Gold
Adam Cohen	...	Bar Mitzvah Boy
Anita Skinner	...	Anne Munroe
Jean De Baer	...	Terry
Christopher Guest	...	Eric
Nancy Mette	...	Denise
Kenneth McMillan	...	Cabbie
Bob Balaban	...	Martin
Albert Rogers	...	Hair Dresser
Jane Anderson	...	Omega Receptionist
Gina Rogak	...	Julie
Russell Horton	...	Photo Editor
Regina David	...	Rabbi's Receptionist
Amy Wright	...	Ceil

Storyline

In New York City, Susan Weinblatt and Anne Munroe are longtime roommates and friends. Susan is a struggling photographer who wants to get out of the wedding and bar mitzvah racket, those jobs which she primarily gets through her friend, Rabbi Gold, to selling the photographs she wants to take, but she realizes that she has to pay the rent. Anne is an aspiring poet and academic who looks to Susan as her primary guidance. As they move into a new apartment, Anne drops the news that she will not be moving in as she is getting married to her boyfriend, Martin. This news is bittersweet for Susan who is somewhat happy for her friend, but isn't sure if she likes all that Martin now represents to her. Both Susan and Anne will have to make professional and personal adjustments to their new situations, especially in what it means for not having the other as a constant in each their lives. While Anne has a "Martin", Susan has no one currently to replace all that Anne has been in her life. So ...

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | title written by female | feminist film | tequila | chess | 

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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:

Girlfriends

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cyclops

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2019.

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Quotes

Eric: Susan your entire apartment could fit in this place.
Susan Weinblatt: It's not the size that counts, right Eric?

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Lion King Sized Problems (2019)

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.