Product Details

• Actors: Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, Jeannie Berlin, Audra Lindley, Eddie Albert
• Directors: Elaine May
• Writers: Bruce Jay Friedman, Neil Simon
• Producers: Erik Lee Preminger, Edgar J. Scherick, Michael Hausman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• DVD Release Date: February 5, 2002
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005R24E
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,635 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Heartbreak Kid" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After her brilliant career in a comedy duo with Mike Nichols, Elaine May made tentative progress as a director, making only four films between 1971 and 1987 (her last being the disastrous but underrated Ishtar). Released in 1972, The Heartbreak Kid (from a screenplay by Neil Simon) is widely considered her best work from behind the camera, and it's still one of the most accomplished--but least recognized--comedies of the 1970s. Charles Grodin landed one of his best roles as Lenny, a newlywed husband who meets a gorgeous blonde (Cybill Shepherd) while on his honeymoon, and finds his new bride, Lila (played by May's daughter, Jeannie Berlin), unappealing by comparison. When Lila is forced to rest with a severe case of sunburn, Lenny's free to pursue his new interest, oblivious to the manipulative games that he'll soon be subjected to. May and screenwriter Simon draw plenty of pain, awkwardness, and embarrassment from hilarious situations, giving this comedy a perceptive awareness of human foibles and unchecked desires. It's a newlywed's worst nightmare come true, made enjoyable because we're watching it happen to someone else. Grodin's a prime choice of casting for expressing the movie's lusty anxiety--he's a schmuck, but you can still sympathize with the anguish he's brought on himself. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great American Comedy, February 14, 2002

By	"skipmccoy" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Thankfully, Anchor Bay(Genuises!!!) has re-issued this classic comedy with a nice widescreen transfer. It's a fantastic film and deserves a nice dvd. Though the dvd has little in the way of extras, I was still pleased as it one of my favorite films. I rank it right up there with great American comedies like ANNIE HALL. It's certainly the darkest stuff that Neil Simon's ever had a hand in. Grodin, Berlin, Albert and Shepherd-they're all excellent here. A great film from a great female directorial voice(Elaine May-who also directed A NEW LEAF with Walter Matthau-why is there no dvd for that film yet!). At a low list price, this film is impossible to pass up on dvd!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "There is no deceit in the cauliflower.", February 27, 2003

By	GLBT (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Charles Grodin is hilarious (as are his sideburns) and pathetic as a man who, while on his honeymoon, falls in love with another woman. He decides to prove himself to Cybil Shepard (the woman he's fallen in love with) and her father (rich, conservative, loathes Grodin) by leaving his wife in mid-honeymoon and following Cybil and her family back to Minnesota and trying to win her hand in marriage.

Classic lines include: "Don't... don't do that, honey. Don't ever put a Milky Way in someone's mouth when they don't want it." and "There is no deceit in the cauliflower."

One thing I found surprising about this movie is that Charles Grodin's character isn't really all that likable. For that matter, pretty much everyone in this film is somewhat morally bankrupt. Not that that's a bad thing... it just surprised me because the screenplay is by Neil Simon, whose stuff tends to be a bit lighter.

All in all, this is definitely worth seeking out... it'll take you back to the days when movie-makers actually knew how to make a comedy that was FUNNY...

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So sue me, already, this my favorite movie., January 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Heartbreak Kid [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Jewish boy marries within his faith and within days desires to be within the bikini bottom of a blonde Minnesota princess. A remarkable 70s survey of stupidity, the sunburned Florida dream, and WASP conversational wastelands. The performances, sets and costumes are worth the price of admission. And the "pecan pie" scene in which Lenny (Grodin) dumps his dumpy new wife (Berlin) in front of the wait staff and patrons of a cheesy seafood restaurant: priceless.