Customer Reviews

Just Between Friends

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sudsy soap opera is saved by the touching performances of the leads, Mary Tyler Moore and Christine Lahti. Produced my Moore's production company MTM, this modern tale reminiscent of best of 1930s and 1940 melodrama actually transcends the gimmicky premise. Implausible as most soaps of this genre, JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS has a feminist edge not often seen in classic Hollywood. These kinds of "dramedies" rely less on writing skill and more on acting chops and manipulative tear dropping. While the performances are top notch, unforunately the sob elements are less effective. Moore, coming off of her ORDINARY PEOPLE Oscar nomination 5 years before plays the role with conviction...rather like her Mary Richards persona thrown into this maudlin predicament. Her foil is wise cracking, but ultimately lonely Christine Lahti, who was fresh from her nomination for SWING SHIFT. Writer/Director Allan Burns (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) attempts to infuse the proceedings with a humor that works some of the time. The tear jerking elements simply did not work for this reviewer. Too little time was spent leading up to the denoument that it comes across more as an afterthought than an entirely effective plot device. Another weight on the proceedings is the awkward and sometimes obtrusive score by Patrick Williams. In 2004 it comes across as terribly dated and a little obnoxious. Several dramatic moments are eclipsed by this overbearing score. Whats odd about JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS is its ability to rise above its faults and become an entertaining little film. Perhaps one could call this a "guilty pleasure". Its not a classic by any means, but at least an interesting time capsule of 1980s feminism and family.

MGM has presented this film in both Widescreen and Full Screen formats on opposite sides of the DVD. MGM presents these with beautiful transfers. Film grain is not a big problem and the color correction comes off a little orange with the skin tones...but overall a nice presentation. The soundtrack comes off beautifully, with dialogue easy to understand and no noticeable distortion. For a mono mix, this actually has some range and depth which was a surprise. The only supplement is the original theatrical trailer...which is actually a delight to watch. For once a trailer that doesn't give everything away!

For the price, this is a great deal. MGM has built quite a reputation for releasing their catalog to DVD. JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS, a minor 1980s film has been given a careful treatment by MGM.

Imagine an Eighties update on a Forties "women's picture". . . but with Laura Petrie or Mary Richards as the long-suffering heroine. . .and Sam (Ted Danson) Malone as the cheating spouse!

Mary Tyler Moore is spunkily stalwart as the wronged wife but wise-cracking Christine Lahti steals the picture as the other woman. (Guess Valerie Harper was busy.) Plays like a jazzercise-era remake of the old Bette Davis/Mary Astor tear-jerker "The Great Lie." Movie never makes up its mind whether it's a comedy or a drama but is oddly entertaining nevertheless.

I haven't seen this movie in years and like it just as much now as I did then. It is a really good movie and I think it is a classic. Mary Tyler Moore and Christine Lahti are great together and I have always liked Sam Waterston.

Boy, this movie takes place in the 80's and at first you must get over how dated it is. The clothes are hilarious but not as much as the big hairstyles. Hilarious. But move beyond the opening drawn out areobics class and a very entertaining weepy drama will draw you in.

Mary Tyler Moore, a housewife meets Christine Lahti, a newsreporter in an aerobics class and they form an instant bond both not having many female friends. Ms. Moore is happily married and lo and behold it ends up Ms. Lahti is having an affair with a married man who is Ms. Moore's husband.

How this drama plays out and how the plot develops is very well done and certainly character driven. The acting is superb all around but for me watching the movie 22 years after it was made I am most impressed with Mary Tyler Moore. If this situation happened today the people involved would most certainly be in different places and deal with things a little differently.

Mary Tyler Moore makes her somewhat timid housewife who yearns for more very believable and the journey of self discovery she embarks on is very well told. It also provides Ms. Moore wirth some excellent scenes. She truly becomes this character and her emotions are believably raw. She makes the otherwise datedness of this movie not an issue. Her character is timeless and you believe she could be from this generation and going through the same processes.

Give yourself a treat and enjoy this quality emotional drama.

I really liked this movie and for years couldn't remember what it was called. I made my husband watch it so he'd remember that cheating always hurts someone....or many someone's.

she is great in this movie. It has a great cast. Love story with a twist, with a twist.

Multiple Emmy winner and Academy Award nominee Mary Tyler Moore stars in this film set in Los Angeles, and portrays a woman married to a man with two teenagers. Holly, the Moore character, is a suburban houswife, whose life revolves around her family. One night she meets Sandy, played beautifully by Christine Lahti, at an aerobics class, and the two become instantaneous best friends. Holly is shy and withdrawn, where Sandy is outgoing and speaks her mind. The story reaches its dramatic heigth when Holly's husband dies in a car crash, and while cleaning out her husband's office, discovers Sandy was having an affair with him.
A superbly written and well-acted movie, I was surprised the film was not a bigger hit both with the audience and Oscar voters: this film has Academy Award written all over it.
If you want to watch an intelligent drama with excellent acting and direction, "Just Between Friends" is it.
The DVD is pretty much empty as far as features are concerned, but it comes in a dual-layer disc and is in both standard and widescreen format, and the theatrical trailer is included.
"The Toronto Sun" says, this film is "the most touching human comedy to stir the heart since "Terms of Endearment"".

I loved this movie! I'm only 12, but I thought it was so sweet! Ms. Moore went from Laura Petrie/Mary Richards image, to Beth Jarret, then back to Laura. I thought it was so mean of the husband to cheat on such a sweet, loyal, and devoted lady. The only thing about this movie was that Holly (Mary Tyler Moore) looked so much older than her husband in the movie!!! Was she supposed to be younger than she actually was? Mary Tyler Moore is my favorite actress, so maybe that is why I like this movie, but I really did think it was so cute!!! And in the end...(sorry if this spoils it) does Harry go with Holly? It doesn't make it clear...not to me anyhow.

This film, made in 1986, is an enjoying flick. I don't agree that the musical score is overbearing or way out of date. It fits the time period well.

Moore and the rest of the cast do a fine job. I especially enjoyed Moore, as she channels the personality of Laura Petrie from the classic Dick Van Dyke show. Christine Lahti plays Sandy, a woman who has a bit more in common with Moore and her husband, played by Ted Danson, than she thinks. The dinner party where they all meet (together with a very young-looking Sam Waterson) is quite amusing. It's also fun to see Waterson play a character very much different from his very somber, deliberate role in 'Law & Order'.

Then tragedy strikes, and the two women confront each other in a new way.

(I also want to mention how attractive and fit Ms. Moore looked in this role. She was 50 when she made this film, and in her stint as an aerobics instructor, she looked 20 years younger.)

Overall, an enjoyable film.

Recommended.

A wonderful study in the dynamics of grief, love, friendship, and betrayal. (Keep a tissue handy.) At times, predictable, yet rings very true.