(1979)
3
Robert Firsching
Although best-known today as the film which made Bo Derek a star, this bittersweet sex-comedy rises and falls on the performance of Dudley Moore as a songwriter experiencing a mid-life crisis. Much of the film's humor is of the slapstick variety, as Moore is stung on the nose by a bee during a wedding, repeatedly falls down a hill while trying to answer a phone, and so forth. But the film's real center is Moore's quiet desperation, which is handled with a surprisingly warm and natural touch. The amiable supporting cast includes Julie Andrews, Robert Webber, and Don Calfa, and there's a memorable and funny seduction set to Ravel's Bolero. For all its sex and slapstick, this is a very perceptive film which leaves a wistful trace of sadness behind.
