The Goodbye Girl

The Goodbye Girl is a 1977 romantic comedy-drama starring Richard Dreyfus, Marsha Mason and ten year-old Quinn Cummings.  It was nominated for five Academy Awards:  Best Picture (Ray Stark, producer) won by Annie Hall, Best Actor Richard Dreyfus (he won), Best Actress (Marsha Mason) won by Diane Keaton for Annie Hall, Best Supporting Actress (Quinn Cummings) won by Vanessa Redgrave for Julia and Best Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen (Neil Simon, husband of Marsha Mason) won by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman for Annie Hall.

Paula (Mason) and her daughter Lucy (Cummings) are returning to their Manhattan apartment, which they share with Paula's actor-boyfriend Tony, from a shopping trip in anticipation of moving to Los Angeles where Tony has landed an acting job.  

When they arrive they discover that Tony has abandoned the pair and has instead gone to Italy for a part in a movie.  To Paula's further dismay, she has discovered that Tony has sublet his apartment to a third person, which means Paula and Lucy could be living on the street.  Paula means to fight eviction.

In the middle of the night, Elliot (Dreyfus) arrives at the apartment he sublet from Tony, only to be locked out by Paula.  After much arguing, they eventually agree to share the apartment.  

When Elliot says, "I got a lawyer acquaintance," a famous line from the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, Paula realizes she is stuck living with another actor, much to her chagrin.  Elliot is in New York to play the lead in an off-off Broadway production of Richard III.

Unfortunately for Elliot, his director wants him to play the role as an exaggerated homosexual stereotype, "the queen who wanted to be king."  The New York theatre critics pan the play, especially Elliot's performance.  The show closes after one night.

Philip Fleischman, one of my high school history teachers, once mentioned that if you put two people together in close proximity for an extended period of time, one of two things will happen:  love or hate, but not apathy.  So what happens to Paula and Elliot who start out disliking each other?

Well, to give away the plot, they fall in love.  But then, a complication arrives.  

While in a different play, Elliot is discovered by a movie director who offers him a four week stint in a film he is making in Seattle.  Both Paula and Lucy are convinced this is Tony all over again.  Elliot will leave and never return, which he denies.

Ironically, Paula says, "If you are ever up for an Academy Award, I will keep my fingers crossed."  As I previously mentioned, Dreyfus won such Award for playing Elliot.

Elliot convinces Paula he will return by asking her to come with him to Seattle.  She declines but agrees to restring his guitar, his one possession he didn't take with him.  We are sure Elliot and Paula will live happily ever after...with Lucy, of course.