Written by Neil Simon, The Goodbye Girl has echoes of his earlier success, The Odd Couple. Instead of two men with opposite temperaments, when Elliot first appears at Paula’s door late one night, it’s clear that these are two very different people.
A bit of an eccentric, Elliot has come to New York to star in an off-off Broadway play he hopes will be his big break. However, he immediately confronts Paula, who initially won’t even open the door and steadfastly refuses to vacate the apartment. While Paula eventually agrees to let him in, Elliot’s rocky introduction to New York City continues. Playing the lead in Shakespeare’s Richard III, Elliot must deal with a director (Paul Benedict) who departs from the Bards text in unheard of ways, because he believes the Machiavellian hunchback was secretly gay and that the play is rife with clues about his homosexuality. Elliot becomes increasingly concerned that the play could end his career.
On the home front, Elliot and Paula have reluctantly agreed to share the apartment, but they continue to argue over various details concerning the arrangement. He doesn’t like her hanging panties on the shower rod and his penchant for playing guitar at 3:00 a.m. to put himself to sleep, drives her up a wall. Truthfully though, while he’s got his eccentricities, Elliot seems like a nice enough guy. It’s Paula who has the hard edge, likely because she’s been dumped by so many guys in the past.
Eventually, it’s Paula’s daughter Lucy that softens the two adults on each other (“Listen, I can’t stand you, but you got a ten-year-old in there I’m nuts about…”), so it comes as no surprise when Elliot eventually attempts to make his relationship with Paula a romantic one. Despite vowing never to date another actor, Paula eventually caves after Elliot setups a romantic dinner on the rooftop of the apartment. However, the demands of show business threaten to derail their newfound happiness right until the closing credits.
Richard Dreyfuss took home a Best Actor Oscar for his role as Elliot Garfield. Certainly, the showier of the two man roles, while he has some nice moments with Marsha Mason, his great scenes come when he’s on stage playing Richard lll. while brief in the context of the entire film, it’s funny stuff, watching him cavorting around as gay Richard. Aside from that, there’s a relatable quality to him. And even though Mason’s Paula wasn’t the happiest person in the world, it seems like she has reason not to be. Marsha Mason deserves credit for the film’s success as well, it’s the chemistry between her and Dreyfuss that makes the story resonate with viewers.
Having commissioned a new transfer performed in 2K, Warner Archive has delivered a 1080p disc that has given new life to this 40-year old film. While the colors still look slightly faded, solid clarity and contrast results in a fine-looking image. Detail levels and depth have been vastly improved. Textures are widely apparently throughout. Flesh tones appear normal and black levels appropriate. Close-ups are a tad soft at times, but largely exhibit nice detail. The transfer is free of any print flaws or debris. Overall, fans of this film should be pleased with the video side of this release.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track supplies clear, well distributed sound. Atmospherics such as rain, traffic and city noise come through nicely. Highs and lows are handled dynamically without any apparent distortion. Dave Grusin’s score easily fills the soundfield when required and dialogue is clean, clear and concise.
English subtitles are included.
The following extras are available:
- Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:45)
