Siskel and Ebert raved about this movie in 1984, both rating it four stars and Siskel naming it as one of the year's ten best movies. So when it made its Blu-ray debut, I thought I'd give it a shot. They're right when they say that the conundrum of Rob Salinger (Dudley Moore), that he loves two women equally, is handled with emotional honesty. But while I found the film diverting, I didn't exactly find it funny. Maybe this is a story that can't really be told in 2026. Rob, a director of television news puff pieces, really wants to have kids, but his wife Micki (Ann Reinking) just got a career boost as the lawyer for a newly-elected judge. After doing a story on Maude (Amy Irving), who plays cello with an all-Asian orchestra, Rob slowly becomes smitten with her. She soon becomes pregnant. But when Rob prepares to break it off with Micki, he learns that she's also pregnant, and has a delicate condition that could be life-threatening. Rob takes out all his suffering on a best pal, Leo (Richard Mulligan), which feels a bit selfish, and the ending is highly questionable. But one of the best touches is that Maude's father is a pro wrestler (Hard Boiled Haggerty) and we get to see Andre the Giant in a bit role. (His future The Princess Bride co-star Wallace Shawn is here, too, playing a doctor.)
Alliance's Blu-ray release is packaged with a "retro-VHS" slipcover that I absolutely love. The only bonus is optional English subtitles.
