Albert Brooks directs himself as a successful film editor with far too many issues that affects the relationship between him and his remarkably patient girlfriend.
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Title: Modern Romance (1981)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| 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 |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
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Storyline
Robert Cole, a film editor, is constantly breaking up with and reconciling with long-suffering girl friend Mary Harvard, who works at a bank. He is irrationally jealous and self-centered, while Mary has been too willing to let him get away with his disruptive antics. Can they learn to live with each other? Can they learn to live without each other? The movie also provides insight into film editing as Robert and co-worker Jay work on their current project, a cheesy sci-fi movie. Written by Reid Gagle
Plot Keywords:
film within a film | film editor | neurosis | fear of commitment | boyfriend girlfriend relationship |Taglines:
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. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
13 March 1981 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Modern Romance - Muß denn Liebe Alptraum Sein? See more »Filming Locations:
Idyllwild, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$18,225, 15 March 1981Gross USA:
$2,863,642Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$2,863,642Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
StereoColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
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.
See more »
Written by John Deacon
Performed by Queen
Courtesy of Elektra Records
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Albert Brooks' character wears a size 11D shoe. See more »Goofs
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. See more »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.
See more »
Soundtracks
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUSTWritten by John Deacon
Performed by Queen
Courtesy of Elektra Records
See more »
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This is a depressingly shallow, naive and mostly unfunny look at a wildly improbable relationship between Brooks' psychotic film editor and Harold, his vapid girlfriend. The two have ZERO chemistry together - primarily because Harold is incapable of doing anything besides looking pretty at this stage of her career; but also because Brooks' character is neither interesting nor likeable. There are 15 static, excruciating minutes at the beginning where Brooks, having just broke up with Harold, stumbles about his apartment in a depressed, drugged out state - unbearable.
Sappily and unimaginatively bookended by Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful", there simply is not enough material here for a feature film. There is hardly anything going on on the periphery of their relationship to give the appearance that these people exist in a real world. I'm sure Brooks' intention was to shine a white hot spotlight on the affair and, in a way, deconstruct it; but if you're going to do that the writing and acting needs to be far far better than what it is here.