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Inevitably, there are spoilers here, but this is a romantic comedy, so there aren’t a surfeit of surprises. Still, keep that in mind. Thanks!
What is it? The Goodbye Girl, directed by Herbert Ross, written by Neil Simon, and starring Marsha Mason, Richard Dreyfuss, Quinn Cummings, Barbara Rhoades, and introducing Nicol Williamson as Oliver Fry.
First viewing? No; last seen 17 Jan 2024, 6 Aug 2016, and I’d say at least two viewings many decades ago, including at least one on HBO when I was a kid (early ’80s).
What’s it about? Paula McFadden (Mason) and her daughter Lucy (Cummings) are abandoned by Paula’s live-in boyfriend when he leaves to star in a movie in Italy. He sublets their apartment out from under them to struggling actor Elliot (Dreyfuss). Even though they despise each other, they come to an arrangement where they share the apartment. But as Elliot pursues his career and Paula makes money for rent, they slowly find themselves attracted to each other. But will history repeat for Paula?
What are your thoughts about it? When I first started this series, in the “About” section I stated, “Future films include Logan’s Run (1976), Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Roller Boogie (1979)1, Soylent Green (1973), and The Goodbye Girl (1977). What kind of game material can I wring out of Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl?” The suggestion being that these genre films could inspire reams of ttrpg material, but Neil Simon?! Romantic comedy?! As a source of roleplaying game material, surely such a mundane, actionless, non-violent genre would be a dry well?
And while, yes, films that focus on relationships over action and violence and monsters are a higher hurdle to leap when it comes to inventing game material for the Cypher System, the truth is a) I feel like I cracked that nut with my third post, on Klute (1971), and b) it soon became apparent that the ttrpg material is the least challenging thing about writing these posts. Finding something to “game about” The Goodbye Girl was difficult, but it was, like all these posts, nothing that a couple hours of brainstorming couldn’t handle. (Avanti! 1972) is another that wouldn’t seem to lend itself to gaming material; I thought of what to do with it almost instantaneously.) No, if I have difficulty with these posts, it’s finding something interesting and true about the film.
Here’s something interesting and true: this guy, the director auditioning dancers, is the least 1977-looking guy in the history of 1977.
So, anyway, The Goodbye Girl. The Goodbye Girl made over one hundred million dollars at the box office (the first for a romantic comedy), generated 19 award nominations, five of which were Academy Awards, and an Oscar win for Richard Dreyfuss, at the time the youngest Best Actor winner. Oh, and a theme song that made it into the Billboard Top 20. It was, without a doubt, a sensation.
It’s also one of the most annoying movies ever made.
The majority of blame can be placed at Simon’s feet. The screenplay began as a completely different project, Bogart Slept Here, starring Robert De Niro and directed by Mike Nichols. Reportedly, this scenario was different (Simon described The Goodbye Girl as Bogart’s prequel) and decidedly darker. When Nichols and De Niro left the production and the film was scrapped, Simon came up with The Goodbye Girl as a replacement in just six weeks. This, in my opinion, explains a lot.
For example, it explains why Simon leans on sitcom-style jokes so hard — Simon got his start writing for Your Show of Shows and The Phil Silvers Show, so this was likely second nature to him and could churn them out quickly2. Simon doesn’t gradually introduce the jokiness, either — it’s right smack there in the beginning when we’re introduced to Paula and Lucy, exchanging wisecracks as if a live studio audience were eavesdropping. It’s not that these jokes aren’t funny; I’m not made of stone and I laughed plenty. It’s just that, in this context, this bantering sounds like it comes from the typewriter of a fifty year old man and not the mouths of a thirty-five year old woman or her ten year old daughter.
In the early 80s, I was obsessed with Wacky Packages, so I was stunned to learn that not only they existed in 1977, but they made shirts at the time as well. Pretty sure I had this one as a sticker.
The screenplay’s quick turnaround may also explain Marsha Mason’s frenetic and, frankly, terrible performance. Getting a script out in six weeks requires focus; there isn’t time to explore a story and go down narrative dead ends. Simon doubles-down (triples?) on Paula’s fear of being abandoned to give the story a spine. However, this leaves Mason without a lot of different notes to play. Paula feels “off” right in the first scene. She won’t be dumped for the second time for another few minutes, but she’s already in a manic mode, as if the character expects the dumping (or the actress hasn’t been given a full character.) Paula spends almost the entirety of the movie in this crisis mode, tamping down on her emerging feelings for Elliot with hostility for fear of being discarded once again. We never get a sense of what “normal” Paula is like — it’s contained to the first and last minute, and it’s not enough. This is a problem because, for a good while, Paula is intolerable. Every choice Simon has her make is just one step too much, whether it’s lying to Elliot about having a husband on the police force or upbraiding him after he failed to retrieve her purse from three armed muggers who nearly took him out.
As of this writing (almost a year after watching the movie), my recollection is this is the one real true moment Elliot isn’t “on.”
Paula’s behavior has the affect of disguising just how awful Elliot is. When we first meet him, he seems reasonable, because a) he’s in the right and b) Paula is so unbelievably over the top. Once he’s ensconced in the apartment, though, we get a better sense of him, and wow. From his midnight guitar playing to his morning meditation noises, Elliot is, as they say, a piece of work. It also soon becomes apparent that he’s one of those people who’s “always on,” that Robin Williams-like quality which combines a mind that goes 1000mph with an irresistable urge to be the center of attention. Like Paula, he’s tiring, and the only thing that makes watching them tolerable is that their guns are aimed at each other. It’s kind of a relief when the romance kicks in — they deserve one another.
The Goodbye Girl (1977, Alan J. Pakula)
Let me be clear: The Goodbye Girl is not a bad movie. Against my better judgment, I’d say I actually like it. Structurally, it’s tight as a cadet’s bedsheet, and that Simon knocked it out in six weeks is a testament not only to his talent but his professionalism. The trick of a romcom like this is to present, believably, two people who don’t like each other, and contrive (because that’s what dramatic writing is) them into falling for each other. With the possible exception of one small moment, Simon succeeds. (While I stand by my feelings regarding the characters, the way Simon manipulates us to like Elliot when he arrives, turn us against him once he moves in, and then get us on his side again when he’s given terrible direction by Mark “I know theater directors who use subtext” Bodine3 is pretty masterful.) While I’m not a fan of Mason’s performance, Dreyfuss is good; whether or not he deserved to beat Richard Burton (Equus; haven’t seen it but probably), Marcello Mastroianni (A Special Day; haven’t seen it but possibly), Woody Allen (Annie Hall; good performance but definitely) or John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever and lol no) I leave to others4. The main thing about Dreyfuss here is that he can (usually) make Simon’s sitcom-isms sound like real dialogue coming from a character’s mouth and not a screenwriter’s.
The Monastery Restaurant opened around 1969 on 75th and Columbus Avenue, and sometime in the early 80s moved to Norfolk, VA, where it still exists today!
But really, as far as I like The Goodbye Girl, it’s because it’s a terrific New York movie. When you think of ’70s New York movies, you probably think of films that emphasize the city as a dangerous metropolis, like The Warriors, Taxi Driver, or The French Connection. (It’s 1981, but a shout-out to Wolfen as well.) Even though The Goodbye Girl features a mugging, this is still the romantic idea of New York, a hustling, bustling, dense patchwork of corner grocery stores and dance studios and schoolyards and titty bars and funky apartments5. Manhattan’s like this too, I suppose, but that’s about a more upper class caste of established artiste; this New York is the place you go to chase your dreams, even if they get away from you in the end. If The Goodbye Girl has value, and it does, it’s primarily because of this.
But, my God, it’s annoying.
How many stars out of five? I’m going with 2 1/2, although it’s the kind of movie that ranges anywhere from 3 1/2 to 1, depending on the context, that context usually meaning how Simon-y the dialogue gets.
Where can I stream it? As of this writing6, you can watch it for free on Tubi, or rent or buy it from Amazon, Apple, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu - Fandango, Microsoft Store, or DirecTV.
What can we take from it? Today, I have a new descriptor, Always On, and a new arc, Romantic Comedy. The Cypher System has a descriptor called Appealing, which makes a character charismatic and pleasant to be around. Always On is similar, but pushes everything into the red — higher highs, but also some definite deficits. Also, the Cypher System has an arc for romance called, well, Romance, but this one is slightly different. The Romance arc allows a player to say, “I want my character to fall in love with an NPC” or whatever, and provides a pretty basic structure for that: meeting, courtship, commitment. Romantic Comedy is similar but builds a bit of conflict into that structure.
ALWAYS ON
You act like life’s a stage and you’re the headliner. Most people find your antics entertaining, but those that don’t really don’t. Regardless, you’re always ready with a quick jape or bit of monkeying around. As long as all eyes are on you.
You gain the following characteristics:
Mile a Minute: +4 to your Intellect Pool
Skill: You are specialized in pleasant social interactions.
Inability: By nature, you are a bit self-centered. All tasks involving noticing something about another person are hindered.
Resistant to Your Charms: Some people find you overbearing instead of funny and likeable. Once per session, upon meeting a new NPC, the GM may decide that character doesn’t like you. All interactions with that character are hindered, overriding the Always On skill above. The GM may allow you, over the course of the adventure or campaign, to attempt to win over the character and remove this penalty. The process for winning over such a character is up to the GM. 7
Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first adventure.
ROMANTIC COMEDY
You fall into a relationship with an unlikely romantic partner.
Opening: Meet Cute. You metaphorically, if not literally, crash into another person you’ve never met before. You both have an immediate dislike for the other, as well as feel an undeniable attraction.
Step: Tied Up. Something happens to keep you together for the short term. Perhaps you’re made partners on the same assignment by a superior, or maybe you both claim rights to the same apartment. Regardless, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other.
Step: I Kind of Like Your Sass8. You begin to warm to each other. The vices you saw in each other now flip to virtues, and your jibes at each other become less wounding and more like friendly banter.
Step: Decisive Action. Your romantic partner is in trouble, and you save the day. If either of you hasn’t told the other “I love you,” then that happens in this step.
Climax: The Wedge. Something comes between you and the other person. Maybe a revelation from the past, or maybe it’s a situation that’s happening right now. Whatever it is, it casts you or them or both of you in a negative light. Will it keep you apart or can you overcome this obstacle?
Resolution: You either decided to stay together or go your separate ways. Regardless: what happens now?
NEXT TIME, ON AGAINST THE ’70S: The Poseidon Adventure (1972, Ronald Neame)
Roller Boogie (1979, Mark L. Lester) now becomes my new white whale.↩︎
To be clear, I have nothing against sitcoms. I love sitcoms! But let sitcoms stay on television. I expect something, not better really, but different, from film.↩︎
Played by Paul Benedict! I always think of him as That Guy from The Jeffersons, so it’s a delight when he pops up somewhere else in a new context. Thought he was British; born in New Mexico!↩︎
Liar! You’re not leaving it to others, you decided right there!↩︎
Apparently the interiors, including the apartment, were filmed on a soundstage in Los Angeles. And maaaaaybe you can tell from the quality of light? But otherwise, what a fantastic job by production designer Albert Brenner. Even if you’ve never been to New York, you wouldn’t mistake the location for anywhere else.↩︎
Almost exactly a year ago, 2/18/24. That’s how long I’ve been holding on to this post.↩︎
Here’s a spitball for how that might work: every time the PC does something that might improve the NPCs opinion of them, assign it a number of points. For example, a genuine compliment might be worth 1, saving them from embarrassment might be worth 2, and literally saving their life might be worth 3. Then make an standard roll for the NPC against the points as a level; i.e., 1 point would be a target number of 3, 2 would be a target number of 6, etc. If they fail the roll, the NPC retains the negative opinion of the PC. If they succeed, they now like the character enough that the penalty is removed. These points are cumulative, so that if the total ever reaches 7, then the penalty is automatically removed. This doesn’t necessarily mean the NPC is now best buds with the PC; they might begrudgingly like them at best.↩︎
The author would like to thank the writer(s) of the song “Hate the Way I Love You” from Bob’s Burgers S09E1 (“Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now”) for help in drafting this arc.↩︎
