Tonight's Movie: Starting Over (1979) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Burt Reynolds, Jill Clayburgh, and Candice Bergen star in STARTING OVER (1979), recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

I was curious about this film as I vaguely remember seeing advertising for it when it came out. Having never caught up with it in the decades since, the was a wonderful opportunity to finally check it out. The movie proved to be a pleasant 105 minutes featuring a nicely subdued Reynolds navigating relationships with two high-strung ladies (Clayburgh and Bergen).

As the film opens, Phil (Reynolds) has been dumped by his wife Jessie (Bergen), an aspiring (but rather bad) singer.

Phil moves to the Boston area where his brother (Charles Durning) and sister-in-law (Frances Sternhagen) live, and in short order they introduce him to a nice preschool teacher, Marilyn (Clayburgh).

Phil and Marilyn's relationship progresses steadily, with some bumps along the way, but just when they've taken the momentous step of moving in together, Jessie appears for an unexpected visit. Jessie is clearly regretting the end of their relationship, and Phil finds himself considering what he really wants.

STARTING OVER has a well-written script by James L. Brooks, based on a novel by Dan Wakefield. While Bergen's narcissistic Jessie comes off more cartoony than real, Phil and Marilyn are written and played as normal, likeable people any viewer might recognize.

I don't think I've ever seen a Reynolds performance quite so low-key; I kept expecting Phil to turn into a more flamboyant "Burt Reynolds" type character and was charmed and relieved when that didn't occur. He plays Phil as an ordinary guy who, plain and simple, wants to be in a meaningful relationship with a nice woman.

Clayburgh is also very good as the disarmingly honest, sweet Marilyn, although at times I almost felt I was watching a Diane Keaton performance. Indeed, Keaton's character in the later SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE (2003), which I revisited earlier this year, seems strangely familiar after watching STARTING OVER, right down to the younger guy Marilyn starts dating.

Bergen's character is rather remarkable in that she manages to make most of the significant moments in her interactions with Phil about herself and her feelings, belatedly remembering to ask about Phil. Despite her continual self-focus, her sadness when she realizes their relationship is truly over seems genuine.

Clayburgh and Bergen were Oscar-nominated as Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, and while they're fine, Reynolds shouldn't be overlooked either. Indeed, neither of the actresses' performances would work so well if they weren't playing off Reynolds and his reactions.

Durning is particularly good as Phil's supportive psychiatrist brother who comes to the rescue when Phil has an anxiety attack. This sequence is rather moving for the open expressions of love and caring between the two brothers.

As an aside, part of the enjoyment of a film like this is what now seems like a nostalgic depiction of the era in which I grew up. Cell phones make everything different in so many ways!

Parental Advisory: This film is rated R and definitely deserves it, although I've seen R films which were much more...R.

STARTING OVER was directed by Alan J. Pakula and filmed by Sven Nykist.

Kino Lorber's nice-looking widescreen Blu-ray print is from a new HD master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative.

Disc extras consisted of a commentary track by Daniel Kremer and Howard S. Berger, plus a gallery of eight trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber. The Blu-ray is presented as a Special Edition in a cardboard slipcase.

STARTING OVER is an enjoyable film worth checking out; I will definitely return to it at some point for another look.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

Tweet