Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)

“I’m a pitcher not a catcher, and don’t you ever forget that.” – Gary

Number of Times Seen – 1 (5 May 2019)

Brief Synopsis – An innocent young school teacher creates a double life for herself when she gets involved in the seedy city underworld filled with sex and drugs.

My Take on it – This is yet another film that I never heard of before seeing it during my research of movies that have received Oscar acting nominations.

The premise and idea of this film are actually quite intriguing but things are presented in a very convoluted and complicated way which makes much of it fall flat.

Diane Keaton is quite good here in the lead role and shows that she can be a very versatile actress because she plays a role that is extremely darker and is quite different from the kind of role that we are accustomed to seeing her in.

The supporting cast of this film is filled with lots of familiar actors who had yet to hit the mainstream at the time this was made.

William Atherton, Richard Gere and Tom Berenger are all great in this film and show their acting promise via the roles they play.

Tuesday Weld is also great as Keaton’s sister and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this movie.

Unfortunately, despite its very talented cast fails to be as thrilling as one would hope it could be given the type of story.

Bottom Line – Interesting idea that falls a bit flat because things get a bit too complicated and convoluted along the way. Keaton is quite good in this role which gets dark and is very different from the kinds of roles she has become associated with over her career. Great supporting roles from some very familiar actors who were unknown at the time. Gere, Atherton and Berenger all show their acting promise in this film. Weld received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this movie. Unfortunately, despite the great cast, this isn’t as thrilling as one might hope for tho.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Tom Berenger admitted in an interview that he had nightmares after he was finished shooting all of his scenes as Gary. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)