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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Looking in the right place for good cinema, December 27, 2005
I normally don't review movies that haven't been converted to dvd. However, for this Richard Brooks, film adaptation of the Judith Rossner book , based on the true, series of events, in the life of Rosanne Quinn, I'm making an exception. Diane Keaton plays the lead , as Therea Dunn , an attractive, intelligent, independent, sexually curious, young woman who happens to be a school teacher. From it's riveting beginning sequences to it's unforgettable ending," Looking for Mr. Goodbar" exemplifies great directing , acting , and writng. Filmed during a period when American cinema focused on character driven stories and themes..this film stands out as one of the most unforgettable. Originally penned, as a star making vehicle for Diane Keaton, the film highlights unforgettable performances by a series of future stars like Richard Gere, Levar Burton , Tom Berringer, and Tuesday Weld ( in her OSCAR winning performance). Although, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" was originally released in 1977, it's overall lessons and character journeys are still relatable, today. On that aspect, it ensures this film a long shelf life. Some scenes are dated and the soundtrack is obviously past it's expiration date. However, after the first twenty minutes , you quickly forget that this was produced almost three decades ago.The characters are portrayed so richly and so authentic , that you become sucked into it. I don't see this film as a warning for young barhoppers or sexually liberarated women. Once again...it's based on a true story. So , how can anyone tamper with reality? The film sticks to the book and the book sticks to the actual case, that sparked the interest in the first place. The cinematography and script are excellent and Richard Brooks did a phenominal job, layering circumstances and allowing his actors to go to depths that most actors would shy away from. Personally , I used to think of Diane Keaton as just another pretty actress ( especially in her youth). However , after seeing her performance in this film , I will always consider her just as brave and creative and dedicated to her roles , as her contemperaries(Robert Deniro , Al Pacino, John Voight , Marlon Brando, ect.). If you're a fan of dramatic films, such as "Midnight Cowboy"," The Deer Hunter",or "Boogie Nights", " Looking for Mr. Goodbar" is one that should definately not be missed. I'm not sure why it hasn't been released on dvd, yet. Hopefully, it will, as it deserves to be preserved and recognized as one of the best films of the 1970's.
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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A glimpse of what cinema can be., August 7, 2005
This is raw, risk-taking cinema--from the no-holds-barred performance of a lifetime by Dianne Keaton to the bold and imaginative direction of Richard Brooks. Moreover, it captures the woman's point of view more convincingly than any other film that comes to mind. As spectators we remain inside Keaton's head as well as capable of judging her in her obsessive, doomed quest for personal fulfillment at all costs. The sordid climax (no wonder profit-dependent Hollywood swore off such films) is all the more remarkable because we see it through the eyes of the victim. When Dianne Keaton's desire and death wish converge and she loses the capacity to see, the movie necessarily fades to black as well.
I was so blown away by the film that I immediately read its literary source. This is one of the few times the book has proved a disappointment compared to the movie. As a prose stylist, Judy Rossner doesn't begin to match the artistry of Keaton and Brooks not to mention the psychological depth that is normally off limits to a medium as surface-bound as film.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
heart-breaking..., January 26, 2001
'Looking for Mr. Goodbar' is saturated with tangibility and keenness.By a very forituous event, I got this movie and popped it into the VCR. Two hours later, my heart was pounding and my hands were sweating. I was in inertia for perhaps, oh, twenty minutes. That's how much the movie impacted me. Diane Keaton and her unique, rare talent stands out as Theresa Dunn, a lonely, sexually insatiable woman searching for so many things:unconditional love, understanding, and a happy life. Oppressed by her rigid father, the morals of Catholicism, the dread that nobody truly loves her, and insecurity, she tries to break out of her shell, experimenting by getting involved in the wild partying life. Compassionate teacher of deaf kids by day, heavy partyer/hooker by night. Two characteriscs entirely different, yet in one woman. She searches for true love by getting involved with eclectic men, and was just beginning to find it when inhumanity and brutality invaded her, snuffing out her weak voice once and for all... On another point, I have to say I'm very impressed with the way this movie approached deafness. I'm deaf myself, and I know back in the seventies, most deaf schools didn't offer signing/speaking at the same time. They only offered speech classes, with absolutely no signing at all. So far, most deaf schools have broken away from this rule, but with this movie, made in the seventies... I could understand what they were saying without having to read the closed-captioning. I'm very impressed with how smoothly they signed. But that's not the main reason why I was so taken with this movie. The subtle dialogue blends very well. The bar scene adds to the mystical aura, along with the mood and lighting. But most of all, you find yourself almost wanting to save Theresa from the hell of this grim reality. You find yourself sympathizing and identifying with her confusion, her loneliness, and her brutal desire to be someone else. She was just beginning to find herself when that chance was suddenly taken away. The ending. My God... the ending... there are no words that can describe it. It chills you to the very core. I have never seen an ending filled with such doom and finality. When the strobe light finally dies out, you find yourself in thick silence, unable to think of a coherent sentence till you finally pull yourself together and begin to make sense of it all. But even so, you can't find a rational solution to this movie. You have to accept it for its graphic reality. Heart-breaking. I'll never forget this film.
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