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The Goodbye Girl
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The Goodbye Girl is a charmer of a film with sharp dialogue from none other than the master himself, playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon. that's because this film is a remake of the original 1970's version starring Richard Dreyfuss, who just so happened to win an Academy Award for his portrayal of Elliot. Jeff Daniels had some big shoes to fill when he took this role but fills them to the toe with such energy and grace that by the time the end credits roll you can't help but wonder why the American public doesn't see more of this man. Patricia Heaton shines as the heartbroken Paula, a person that has experienced more than her share of troubles in the relationship department. Not only does Paula have troubles in her love life, she ... has her daughter, Lucy, to worry about, portrayed by Kate Eisenberg (the cute girl in those cute Pepsi commercials). Eisenberg sinks her teeth into the role of Lucy, who sometimes must be the adult to Paula instead of vice versa. Paula and Lucy do not share a typical mother-daughter relationship, but rather a friendship, giving each other sincere advice whenever opportunity knocks.
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The Goodbye Girl is a bittersweet comedy about relationships and taking chances. Though it deals with the human condition, what most quickly comes to mind are those wickedly comedic scenes featuring Richard Dreyfuss in an Oscar-winning role. He plays a struggling actor with a sharp tongue who has sublet an apartment from single mom Marcia Mason, a divorcie with horrific taste in men, who are always running out on her. She is left high and dry once more, stuck sharing her apartment with Dreyfuss when he hasn't the heart to enforce his lease and toss out mother and daughter.
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The Theatre Arlington production of The Goodbye Girl carries with it some of the book problems suffered by the original production. Neil Simon's book tends to hit the mark at times, and then totally become lost and foggy by not allowing time for the characters to develop feelings and emotions for each other. These are typical problems found in a Neil Simon script. The man writes very funny one liners and zingers, but he tends to underdevelop strong arces and a believable apex in his characters. Thus his plays and books of musicals become sitcom/comedy hour skits (which is natural, given Simon's background).
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The Broadway musical version of Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl" opens the Moonlight's winter season at the Avo Playhouse in Vista tonight. It's a love-at-first-fight story about single mom and ex-dancer Paula McFadden (played by Theresa Layne of Carlsbad), her daughter Lucy and struggling actor Elliot Garfield (played by Jason Heil).
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The Goodbye Girl was ... nominated for Best Picture, but lost to Annie Hall in that category. The combination of Simon's script with its wisecracking, fast-paced dialogue and the comic timing of all the actors involved make for a heartwarming romance with lots of laughs.
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The Goodbye Girl is a 1977 film about an actor who sublets an apartment which already contains a divorcée and her daughter. The three must learn to live together despite rubbing each other the wrong way.
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The Goodbye Girl