Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

mark.waltz Back when the movies focused on real looking people in amusing situations and didn't focus on loud special effects or the supernatural, writers could get the audiences in and win awards for classy projects like this. You can't get any more real than Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason, so real looking that you might confuse them for your neighbor, your college professor or your boss. Both actors, trained for the stage, feel right at home in the world of Neil Simon, particularly Mason who was married at the time.With her lover abandoning her and subleasing the apartment out from under her, Mason finds herself in a bind when Dreyfuss shows up in the middle of the night with a receipt and a legal right to move in and kick her out. In spite of her attitude towards him (or because of her young daughter, Quinn Cummings), he allows her to stay. The two are already quirky enough, and together, they turn each others worlds upside down. With his career as a dramatic actor and her struggle as a 30 something year old chorus girl, they are two worlds of theater that don't always understand the other. "Ask an actor a question, he gives you his credits." She's done everything from "Fiddler" to "Company", and he refuses to play a gay, de-humped Richard III. Simon pays tribute to his first love, the theater, and having written the scripts for both books and musicals, and he covers pretty much every archetype within the theater that could possibly be covered. While Quinn Cummings quickly made her exit from "the business", she makes quite an impression as Mason's very worldly daughter who is often more adult than the two adults surrounding her. But it is thanks to her, the adults come to an understanding, especially after she is mugged. But the conflicts continue, realistically, and they are realistically neurotic as opposed to pretentiously neurotic and demanding of attention. They show the New York I remember from just 20 years ago when people could have conflicts like this yet be able to come to an understanding.So between the writing and the three brilliant performances (not to mention vintage New York footage and a great theme song), this is a comedy for the ages. The musical version of this may have tanked, but surrounded by an ensemble of New York stage character actors, this remains a winner. This has the wild spoof of the gay version of "Richard III" (with Paul Benedict of "The Jeffersons" as its director) that is completely unforgettable. The viewing of this was not the winter of my discontent.

vlad n. leu I've sworn to only post comments & reviews of movies that I've truly loved, enjoyed or at least have been positively inspiring... This '70s one, reloaded from the WB vaults, is simply extraordinary... I've just seen it again today (probably for the 4th or 5th time since the '70s...), 21st Sep 2016, aired by HBO in my very remote & rather boring eastern-EU regional area... Almost four decades have passed since its release... Nonetheless, what a beautiful display of art & professionalism in every aspect... This one could easily be re-named as the very earliest & genuine "Two & a Half Men" very- very initial pilot !!! Dreyfuss & Marsha Mason are clearly the leaders, however the "kid" almost steals the show (she hates being called a 'kid'... but she will eventually accept it from the right person...). Please, all of you who have completely erased your memories of how incredibly funny & witty the Two & a Half Men series were, just bear with me for a few more seconds... Both Dreyfuss' & Mason's characters are highly strong-willed, just as two men or two women of character would be, very much determined to achieve their life objectives. The witted, beautiful kid draws them closer and gently, childlishly lets them realise that their love requires them to resolve all trust issues... Last time I saw this movie, some ten years ago, it had seemed to me a bit obsolete and boring. Today (thank U HBO for reviving it...), I've really loved it... Blame it on my age, if not anything else! (60+) ...

DKosty123 It is starting to feel like another planet when you think about the time that has passed since Neil Simon was cranking out comedies like this one in the 1970's. What makes it feel longer is - Marsha Mason is 70 years old this year 2012 Richard Dreyfuss is 65 years old this year.Their daughter who was a newcomer in this movie is 40 years old this year.Dreyfuss won an Oscar for this one and deservedly so. His character is extremely energetic and in a time before it is fashionable has to play a gay King Richard.As for Mason, she is delicious and bitchy all in moments.Neil Simon is 85 this year and his last writing credit was in 2007. In the 1970's Simon was doing scripts like this, The Odd Couple and The Sun Shine Boys.While the Goodbye Girl is not quite as well done as the others, this is still a pretty solid script for it's era. What seems strange is that this one just was shown on The Essentials on TCM. I am not used to having a movie that came out when I grew up being honored in that Saturday night slot. Still, it deserved the recognition.We need films like this one to remind us people and movies are not perfect.

PeaJayKay To watch "The Goodbye Girl" is to watch a special slice of filmography. Never has Richard Dreyfuss commanded his role so effortlessly, relaxed yet so perfect in the part.(Everyone was a jobbing actor at some time.) He really does steal the show, which considering the fine performances by his two female co-stars, is quite a feat! A simple storyline, worked superbly through simple observational craft, weaves a "will they, won't they, should they, can they" masterclass in the art of entertainment. It is a rarity to find a film in which you care, indeed yearn, to follow the cast on their journey. The Genre will not be to everyone's taste(duh!)but the sheer talent shown in front of, and behind of, the Camera is quite delightful.