Love Story (1970)

Strife-torn America wanted a meat-and-potatoes romance in the late '60s, and the country embraced Erich Segal's slim, generic-sounding novel in a big way. It did so again for the film adaptation in 1970, starring Ryan O'Neal as a law student who defies his rich and powerful father (Ray Milland) on every issue, including the former's love for a music student (Ali MacGraw). The two marry, start life together...and then the Grim Reaper turns up at the door. Directed by Arthur Hiller (The In-Laws), the film ends up lacking the kind of stylistic boost that might have made it a must-see for the ages. But its faithfulness to the book's uncomplicated and, yes, moving intentions is pretty solid. O'Neal is convincing as a nice guy who's as bullheaded in his own way as his steely father (a nice job by Milland), and MacGraw has a way of getting under one's skin. A viewer just has to try not laughing at the refrain, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

 TIL DEATH.....
A good movie, not great, that garnered tremendous support at the pinnacle of the Vietnam War, as a type of returning to reality, American style. A large segment of the population was fed up with war movies, "Easy Riders", "Midnight Cowboys" et al and naturally radiated to Erich Segal's simple novel transformed into a simple film. They got their money's worth. Crowds openly hissed and booed Milland's every move, a sure sign of his commendable performance as the bossy, conceited establishment figure. O'Neal's hatred of him could be felt right through the screen.Macgraw gives an uneven performance; one is often at a loss as to whether her attempts at one-upsmanship over O'Neal are reality or teasing. Whatever, the couple is apparently truly in love as the bedroom scenes (tastefully done) seem to indicate. The ending seems to convey the couple's atheism; a truly loving God would allow this to happen? In summation, this is a timeless movie, well worth your attention.
March 5, 2008

 A walk to Remember
This movie was very touching.... its a tearjerker for sure.... the movie " A Walk to Remember" is a lot like "love story" but jenny isn't a saint..... January 25, 2008

 Love Story
There was to much profanity. The story itself is good. When I saw it on the TV years ago I didn't remember all of the use of profanity. If I had I wouldn't have order it. January 18, 2008

 Brand new!
I received two copies of this fantastic movie and they were shipped in perfect condition. January 1, 2008

 It's like falling off a cliff in slow motion, Only, after a while, you wish you'd hit the ground already!
Three box-office words explain why Paramount made this silly tearjerker - Romeo and Juliet, on which they had just made a fortune. "What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died?" asks Ryan O'Neal, sitting in the snowy bleachers of a field in Cambridge. The answer, of course, is plenty, though it would take somebody with talent to make us care about her, plus a talented writer and director to build a story around her.

Anyway, our doomed lovebirds "meet cute" when Radcliffe librarian Ali MacGraw - who doesn't look like she's seen twenty-five anytime recently - blocks O'Neal from borrowing books because, she says, "you look stupid and rich." No, he only looks stupid, but the script insists that he's loaded. Though she's forever calling him "preppy" and he's calling her "[...]" she's soon making calf eyes at him while he sits in the penalty box for playing dirty on the hockey rink.

"Would you ever total me?" she asks, so irritatingly that, if O'Neal won't oblige, thousands of others would. O'Neal's face gets creamed at one hockey game, attended by his pop, Ray Milland, who observes, "You probably want a steak, son." to which O'Neal replies - thinking Milland means a steak for his bruised face - "Thank you, father, but the doctor took care of it." (Well, MacGraw warned us he was stupid.)

The womanizing O'Neal baffles his roomies, including Tommy Lee Jones, by suddenly knuckling down to his law studies; O'Neal marvels to MacGraw, "It's amazing. I'm really studying." Amazing, indeed, but not as amazing as O'Neal's proposing marriage. Damned if we aren't as puzzled as she is. "You're a preppy millionaire," she whines, "and I'm a social zero."

Though meeting the folks goes badly, they marry anyway and move to New York when he gets appointed to a swank law firm. True love runs smooth until -- uh-oh! - O'Neal learns that he's going to lose MacGraw to one of those Unspecified Terminal Diseases so beloved by Bad Moviemakers. The sight of flesh wasting away? Hair falling out in chunks? Nausea? No, Ali just grows a tad pale and asks O'Neal to take her to the hospital where, her hair spread out decoratively on the pillow, she assures him there's no pain, explaining, "It's like falling off a cliff in slow motion, you know? Only, after a while, you wish you'd hit the ground already." (We feel the same way.)

O'Neal sits on the bleachers near the playing field and waxes nostalgic ("She loved Mozart, and Bach, the Beatles, and me") while the snow falls. This howler made so much money, it actually got nominated for six Oscars and spawned a sequel, Oliver's Story, but, hey, Trash means never having to say you're sorry.
December 21, 2007

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