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Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film)

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Looking for Mr. Goodbar
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Brooks
Screenplay byRichard Brooks
Based onLooking for Mr. Goodbar
by Judith Rossner
Produced byFreddie Fields
StarringDiane Keaton
Tuesday Weld
William Atherton
Richard Kiley
Richard Gere
CinematographyWilliam A. Fraker
Edited byGeorge Grenville
Music byArtie Kane
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • October 19, 1977 (1977-10-19)
Running time
136 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$22.5 million[2]

Looking for Mr. Goodbar is a 1977 American crime drama film, based on Judith Rossner's best-selling 1975 novel of the same title, which was inspired by the 1973 murder of New York City schoolteacher Roseann Quinn. The film was written and directed by Richard Brooks, and stars Diane Keaton, Tuesday Weld, William Atherton, Richard Kiley, and Richard Gere.

The film was a commercial success, earning $22.5 million,[a] and received generally favorable reviews, with much of the praise directed towards Keaton's performance. It garnered two Academy Award nominations, Best Supporting Actress for Weld and Best Cinematography for William A. Fraker, while Keaton earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Looking for Mr. Goodbar introduced Richard Gere, LeVar Burton, and Tom Berenger, all as men whom the protagonist Theresa encounters.

Plot

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Theresa Dunn, a young schoolteacher in an unnamed American city, experiences her sexual awakening while searching for excitement outside her ordered life. While in college, she lives with her repressive Polish-Irish Catholic parents and suffers from severe body image issues following a childhood surgery for scoliosis that left a large scar on her back. Theresa later finds out that her scoliosis is congenital, and that her aunt had the same condition and committed suicide. As a result, Theresa is reluctant to have children of her own.

Meanwhile, Theresa's beautiful "perfect" older sister, Katherine, has left her husband and embarked on a wild lifestyle involving multiple affairs, a secret abortion, recreational drug use, and a short-lived marriage to a Jewish man. Theresa finds first love and loses her virginity to her much older, and married, college professor, Martin. He ends their affair just before her graduation, leaving Theresa feeling used and lonely.

Theresa takes a job teaching deaf children and proves to be a gifted and caring teacher. With Katherine's encouragement, she moves into an apartment in Katherine's building. She frequents a bar at night where she meets Tony, a charming but vain Italian-American. She ends up taking Tony to her apartment, taking cocaine with him and sleeping with him. Tony leaves in a hurry and gives her a Quaalude pill to counteract the cocaine. This causes her to oversleep and she arrives very late for work the next day, angering her employer and students. Tony then disappears for a long while, and Theresa initially misses him.

Through her job, Theresa also meets and dates an Irish-American welfare caseworker, James. Her parents approve of the responsible James, seeing him as a potential husband for Theresa. However, the couple do not have sex because James wants a traditional courtship and a monogamous relationship. Theresa sees this as stifling her freedom. Although James initially seems nice, over time he appears to become controlling and disrespectful of Theresa. Moreover, he shows signs of being just as selfish as Tony.

Meanwhile, Theresa begins to go out to more marginal places and has sex with complete strangers, often with older men. Tony eventually returns and acts as if nothing had happened. He barges in on Theresa while she is with another man and chases him away. Tony becomes controlling and abusive, and Theresa also discovers that he is a street hustler. She breaks up with Tony but he stalks and harasses her, both at home and at her workplace. After imagining what could happen if Tony were to turn her in to the police as revenge, Theresa gathers up all of the drugs in her apartment and flushes them down the toilet.

With the New Year approaching, Theresa resolves to turn over a new leaf and take control of her life. On New Year's Eve, she meets Gary in a bar, and cajoles him into helping her avoid James. Gary has been living with his gay lover but lies to Theresa, telling her that he has a pregnant wife in Florida. When they are in bed together at her apartment, Gary finds himself unable to achieve an erection. He then sniffs a "popper". Theresa tells him that it is okay if they don't have sex but Gary misinterprets this as questioning his sexuality. In a rage, Gary attacks her, rapes her, and then stabs her repeatedly, killing her.

Cast

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Soundtrack

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Looking For Mr. Goodbar
Soundtrack album by
Various
Released1977
GenreDisco, Rock, R&B
Length41:05
LabelColumbia JS 35029
ProducerVarious

Looking For Mr. Goodbar is the 1977 soundtrack album of the film of the same title.[3] The album includes numerous disco, R&B and rock tracks from the era reflective of the music being played in clubs and discos in that period, as well as the film's theme, "Don't Ask To Stay Until Tomorrow" (written by Carol Connors and Artie Kane), presented in both vocal and instrumental versions.

Side one
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Theme from Looking for Mr. Goodbar
(Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow)"		Artie Kane1:16
2."Don't Leave Me This Way"Thelma Houston3:37
3."Lowdown"Boz Scaggs3:19
4."Machine Gun"The Commodores2:45
5."Love Hangover"Diana Ross3:47
6."She Wants to (Get on Down)"Bill Withers3:15
7."Theme from Looking for Mr. Goodbar (reprise)
(Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow)"		Artie Kane0:22
Side Two
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Theme from Looking for Mr. Goodbar
(Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow)"		Artie Kane, vocal by Marlena Shaw4:08
2."She's Lonely"Bill Withers5:04
3."Try Me, I Know We Can Make It"Donna Summer4:14
4."Back Stabbers"The O'Jays3:06
5."Prelude To Love / Could It Be Magic"Donna Summer6:12

Production

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For the sex scenes, Richard Brooks closed the set to all but essential crew. Diane Keaton still had difficulty the first time she was required to appear naked. When she heard Richard playing a Bach record during lunch, she asked if he could play the record during her scene. "Diane is so shy," he said later. "She could only do a nude scene if she was playing to the music. She couldn't play to a man. I think Bach would have been pleased."[4]

Release

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Looking For Mr Goodbar grossed $1,540,635 from 110 theaters in its opening weekend. Variety listed the film at number one at the US box office for the week based on their sample of 20-22 cities, however, Star Wars grossed more for the weekend.[5][6] After 16 days, the film expanded into 169 theatres and after 26 days of release it had grossed $8,128,345 and had spent another two weeks atop the US box office.[7][8]

Reception and legacy

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Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 61% rating based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10. The site's consensus states: "Diane Keaton gives an absolutely fearless performance in a sexual thriller whose ending will leave audiences trembling."[9] On Metacritic the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]

Many critics praised Diane Keaton's performance.[11] Roger Ebert gave the film 3-out-of-4 stars, praising Keaton's performance but lamenting the "many loose ends and dead ends," some of which he blamed on significant alterations to the novel's plot.[12] Gene Siskel also awarded 3-out-of-4 stars, writing that "Keaton is absolutely compelling in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, even when the film is not."[13] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called Keaton's performance "high among the year's finest" in a demanding role, and declared the film "powerful, sincere and overlong, and if the film raises questions about itself it is also thought-provoking."[14] Variety stated: "Writer-director Brooks manifests his ability to catch accurately both the tone and subtlety of characters in the most repellant environments - in this case the desperate search for personal identity in the dreary and self-defeating world of compulsive sex and dope. Keaton's performance as the good/bad girl is excellent."[15] Newsweek was also enthusiastic: "Looking for Mr. Goodbar could have been just another sensationalist movie version of a shocking best seller. But Richard Brooks has filmed it with power, seriousness and integrity."[16] A retrospective review from AllMovie stated: "With the casting of Diane Keaton as Theresa, Looking for Mr. Goodbar became a then-rarity in Hollywood movies, depicting an everyday woman with an erotic life, rather than a vamp or a whore," rating the film 31⁄2-stars-out-of-5.[17]

Some critics found the film lurid and muddled; a review by Frank Rich for Time magazine criticized Brooks for making "many crude miscalculations" in adapting the novel.[11] Vincent Canby of The New York Times stated that Keaton was "virtually the only reason" to see the film, calling her "too good to waste on the sort of material the movie provides, which is artificial without in anyway qualifying as a miracle fabric."[18] John Simon noted that while the novel is set in New York City, the film is said to be located in San Francisco (though identifiably filmed in Chicago's Rush Street neighborhood). He also noted that "the main character is made considerably prettier, thus reducing the principal sources of her insecurity", as compared to her portrayal in the novel as somewhat of a "Plain Jane".[19] Pauline Kael noted, "Richard Brooks [...] has laid a windy jeremiad about our permissive society on top of fractured film syntax. He's lost the erotic, pulpy morbidity that made the novel a compulsive read; the film is splintered, moralistic, tedious."[20] Leonard Maltin rated the film 11⁄2-stars-out-of-4, writing that the film "begins as an intelligent study of repressed young girl, then wallows endlessly in her new 'liberated' lifestyle", despite praising Keaton's performance.[21]

Author Judith Rossner praised Keaton's performance. However, she had nothing to do with the making of the film and "detested" the final product.[22]

Scientific analysis

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Robert O. Friedel, MD, has suggested that Theresa's behavior in the film is consistent with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.[23]

Awards and nominations

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Award Category Recipients and nominees Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Tuesday Weld Nominated [24]
Best Cinematography William A. Fraker Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Diane Keaton Nominated [25]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress 3rd Place [26]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium Richard Brooks Nominated [27]

Home media

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Looking for Mr. Goodbar was released on LaserDisc and VHS,[28][29] with the most recent VHS release being in 1997.[30] During a showing of the film on Turner Classic Movies, it was stated by Ben Mankiewicz that its subsequent unavailability on DVD or Blu-ray was owed to licensing complications surrounding the film's extensive use of popular music.[31][32] However, on October 31, 2024, independent label Vinegar Syndrome, under license from Paramount, announced a new release of the film on 4K and standard Blu-ray as part of its annual Black Friday pre-order weekend event, marking its official debut on both formats.[33]

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The film is referenced in the Frank Zappa song "Dancin' Fool" from the 1979 album Sheik Yerbouti.[34]

The film is referenced in the 1985 "Weird Al" Yankovic song "Dare to Be Stupid" in which Yankovic advises the listener in one lyric to "look for Mr. Goodbar."[35][36]

The film inspired the music video for the 1993 Madonna song "Bad Girl".[37] In the video, Madonna plays a woman who, like Theresa, engages in self-destructive behavior by drinking heavily and sleeping around with random men before she is ultimately murdered by a man she had selected for a one-night stand.

The film was referenced in the "Homer Badman" episode of The Simpsons. When Homer and Marge are at a candy convention, an announcement over the PA system says "Looking for Mr. Goodbar, the front desk is Looking for Mr. Goodbar".

Notes

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  1. ^ In 2016 dollars, the film would have earned $86.9 million.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Looking for Mr. Goodbar (18)". British Board of Film Classification. November 21, 1977. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  3. ^ "Looking for Mr. Goodbar - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Wuntch, Philip (February 16, 1986). "Maverick filmmaker Richard Brooks makes movies with mind of his". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "50 Top-Grossing Films". Variety. November 2, 1977. p. 9.
  6. ^ "Domestic 1977 Weekend 42 October 21-23, 1977". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  7. ^ "'Goodbar' Gross Tops $8-Mil; Par Hikes Playdate". Variety. November 16, 1977. p. 5.
  8. ^ "50 Top-Grossing Films". Variety. November 23, 1977. p. 11.
  9. ^ "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Rich, Frank (October 24, 1977). "Cinema: Diane in the Rough". Time. Vol. 110, no. 17. p. 104. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  12. ^ Ebert, Roger (1977). "Looking for Mr. Goodbar review". Rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  13. ^ Siskel, Gene (October 21, 1977). "Keaton worth seeing in 'Goodbar'". Chicago Tribune. Section 4, p. 3.
  14. ^ Champlin, Charles (October 19, 1977). "Warm-Blooded 'Mr. Goodbar'". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, pp. 1, 19.
  15. ^ "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Variety. January 1977. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Kroll, Jack (October 24, 1977). "'Looking for Mr. Goodbar' review". Newsweek. p. 126.
  17. ^ Bozzola, Lucia. "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". AllMovie. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Canby, Vincent (October 20, 1977). "Film: 'Goodbar' Turns Sour". The New York Times. p. 27. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  19. ^ Simon, John (December 9, 1977). "The Movies: Double Whammy". National Review. p. 1443.
  20. ^ Kael, Pauline (October 16, 1977). "Goodbar, or How Nice Girls Go Wrong". The New Yorker. p. 147. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  21. ^ Maltin, Leonard (2012). Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide: The Modern Era. Signet Book. p. 844. ISBN 978-0451237743.
  22. ^ Miller, Stephen (August 11, 2005). "Judith Rossner, 70, Novelist of 'Mr. Goodbar'". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  23. ^ " Friedel, Robert O. (2006). "Early Sea Changes in Borderline Personality Disorder". Current Psychiatry Reports. 8 (1): 1–4. doi:10.1007/s11920-006-0071-6. PMID 16513034. S2CID 27719611. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  24. ^ a b "1978 Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  25. ^ "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  26. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 22, 1977). "Critics' Circle Picks 'Annie Hall'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  27. ^ "Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  28. ^ "Looking For Mr. Goodbar". LaserDisc Database. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  29. ^ "Looking For Mr. Goodbar (1980)". VHSCollector. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  30. ^ "Looking For Mr. Goodbar (1997)". VHSCollector. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  31. ^ "Have We Found Looking For Mr. Goodbar?". DVDExotica. November 7, 2022. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  32. ^ "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  33. ^ "Looking for Mr. Goodbar 4K UHD - Coming from Vinegar Syndrome - Blu-ray Forum". forum.blu-ray.com. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  34. ^ "Dancin' Fool". Genius. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  35. ^ "Dare to Be Stupid" lyrics:
    Take some wooden nickels
    Look for Mr. Goodbar
    Get your mojo working now
    I'll show you how
    You can dare to be stupid
  36. ^ "Dare to Be Stupid". Genius. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  37. ^ Guilbert, Georges-Claude (2002). Madonna as Postmodern Myth. McFarland. p. 132. ISBN 978-0786414086.
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