John and Mary (1969)

A perceptive analysis of a one night stand, John and Mary arrived with the tagline, "It's not your mother's love story." And so it isn't. With hindsight, though, this New York-set, European-style romance seems more quaint than revolutionary. John (Dustin Hoffman) meets Mary (Mia Farrow) at a bar where they bond over Jean-Luc Godard. Turns out she isn't a fan, but the ice has been broken, and a connection is made. The timeline proceeds to shift from the night they met, the day after their tryst, and their previous relationships (his with a flighty model, hers with a married politician). Aside from quotable lines, like "Cinema verité is just an excuse to follow a little girl into the ladies room," John Mortimer's script uses voiceover to convey the couple’s inner thoughts. With his preppy outfits, Hoffman looks much like his post-collegiate character in The Graduate, while Farrow, with her baby-doll dresses, looks much like her hip housewife in Rosemary's Baby, though their performances here are quite different. Featuring a spare soundtrack by Quincy Jones and direction by the versatile, if inconsistent Peter Yates (Bullitt), John and Mary is an underrated look at love among young singles torn between convention and desire. The sexual politics may seem dated, but the chemistry between Hoffman's fastidious John and Farrow's flippant Mary is as appealing as it is unlikely (TIME magazine dubbed them "The Moonchild and the Fifth Beatle"). With Olympia Dukakis as John's mother and Tyne Daly as Mary's roommate. --Kathleen C. Fennessy Amazon.com

An Underrated Classic!

This is a brilliant example of what life was like in late 1960s New York. Coming right after their big hit films, Hoffman (MIDNIGHT COWBOY) and Farrow (ROSEMARY'S BABY) show a completely different, intimate side to their acting. While the film is somewhat fragmented, stick with it: you will find ultimate satisfaction in the story of two rather confused people trying to be as "urbanized" as their surroundings. One highlight is the "egg scene," in which the two engage in a discussion of organic foods. There are also many terrific appearances in character roles: Tyne Daly (CAGNEY AND LACEY) as one of Farrow's roommates and Marian Mercer (who had just won a Tony Award for PROMISES, PROMISES) as a self-absorbed fashion photographer stand out. All in all, a really gratifying cinematic experience. April 3, 2007

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