Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every Time , I Laugh., July 9, 2002
This is a terrific movie. Marsha Mason is wonderfully funny and touching as "Georgia", the recently re-habbed actress. Written by her then husband, Neil Simon, and taken from his original stage play, "The Gingerbread Lady", it is full of witty New York theater repartee, as only Simon could write, incomprabley delivered by Marsha Mason. It starts with "Georgia's" somewhat premature (fresh out of rehab) re-immersion into the world of theater via the starring role in a somewhat biographical play, written by her former lover , with whom she had the turbulent relationship that preceded her breakdown. Through the emotion of that experience, and her relapse, she is accompanied by her two best friends, also wonderfully played by James Coco and Joan Hackett. Their 3 way friendship would be called co-dependent nowadays, then...it was just being a supportive good friend. (I think we were better off without the present definition.) You will want these kooky, dear, flawed people as your friends. Kristy McNichol projects just the right quality as the on-the-ball off-spring. Georgias attempts to re-establish a relationship and trust with her previously somewhat ignored daughter are very funny and very touching, with McNichol often ending up as the parental figure. This is just a wonderful, under-rated little gem of a movie, a sweet story in which Marsha Mason gives one of the best performances I've seen. I consider her a terrific actress, and it's a shame that, for whatever reason, she is not creating more wonderful roles. She takes a good story and makes it great. A lovely, funny film about friendship, human frailties, perseverence, and the resilience of the human spirit. LOVE it !
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Reality of Recovery, November 13, 2002
Another classic Neil Simon-Marsha Mason collaboration (when they were married), "Only When I Laugh" is aptly-titled: as Mason's character explains, she laughs only when her heart is pierced. In her case here, that happens a lot and is masterfully crafted by Simon's bittersweet perspective of his lead character's life, and Mason's flawless delivery. Her character is a recovering alcoholic, and it is her rocky road to recovery that is the benchmark of this film. On the surface, it's much too easy to assess the film as a story about alcoholism. Actually, it's about recovery. And, as most recovering addicts do (God bless 'em), Mason's character finds that life even without chemicals isn't always a bed of roses. As Mason's daughter, Kristy McNichol is the poster child for Al-Anon, and she is awesome as the child of a recovering addict. Sadly, the two strongest supporting performers aren't with us anymore, but Joan Hackett and James Coca are truly magnificent as the friends who carry Mason through the harshness of recovery and, all too commonly, her "slip." It's a timeless message about recovery, and it's a jewel made all the more remarkable by Simon's obvious knowledge about his subject.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marsha Mason tour de force!, November 27, 1999
Marsha Mason received her fourth and last (to date) Best Actress Oscar nomination for this touchingly funny and bittersweet role. She truly shines (as does Hackett and Coco) in this Neil Simon work. It is one of those movies that if you are channel surfing for something to watch and you come across it, it will grab you, no matter what scene you're at, and keep you until the end! But don't wait for TNT or TBS, buy it and pop it in once or twice a year or only when you want to laugh.
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