They All Laughed (1981)

 Not to everyone's taste, but it's one of my faves
Some people really dislike this movie, and I'm not sure why. Maybe they're trying to take it seriously, when it wasn't supposed to be. It's a variation on the caper movie, which genre is usually highly predictable and not very realistic. That doesn't mean caper movies aren't fun, though!

As far as talent goes, it isn't exactly a level playing field. Gazarra and Hepburn are heavyweight champs on a visit to a high school gym, and they certainly didn't have to work hard. Ritter is amazingly natural with his very believable bumbling; not many actors can handle the physical side of comedy as well. Novak's Arthur came across as well as a cool New Yorker who'd be fun to hand with; haven' seen him anything else, so can't say if he was acting or just being himself. Something about Patti Hansen's performance makes me wish her part had been beefed up a bit. Colleen Camp's singing wasn't bad, but her performance wasn't exactly scintillating. The rest of the girls... well, they're decorative, for the most part. Bogdanovich's daughters... the less said, the better.

Even so, the movie itself is fun, and it's long been a favorite of mine. If you're interested in other movies in the genre, try Rough Cut with Burt Reynolds. February 28, 2008

 No, We Didn't
If you're not a film buff, then this film has zero entertainment value. Otherwise, I enjoyed the generous cinematic helpings of New York City--really wonderful stuff--including views out of not-so-clean windows during interior shots. I've rarely seen the Statue of Liberty at such a distance, sharing the horizon with docks and construction cranes. There's a lot going on here connected to trivia (but not a lot going on in the film itself or with the script, which is simply awful). What's going on with the trivia? This is Audrey Hepburn's last feature film (an easy payday for her ((I mean, what Hepburn did in the film is what I did yesterday when I walked to the corner and back)) but at least she didn't embarrass herself); the fact that "They All Laughed" is a poignant film record of the soon-to-be murdered Playboy Bunny Dorothy Stratten; John Ritter at work (during the height of his "Three's Company" fame); the pairing of fellow actors and former lovers, Ben Gazzara and Audrey Hepburn; the fact that the director was having an affair with Dorothy Stratten; the fact that the director, after Stratten's murder, bought the negative to the film and paid for its distribution in theaters; the fact that it bombed terribly due to the public's negative reaction to the scandal of the off-screen love triangle; the fact that this film ended the director's career--not as a filmmaker but--as one of Hollywood's powerhouse directors. Finito. Pretty interesting trivia for a single film. One of the two writers that created this mess also acts and turns in a pretty good performance as a doofus hipster. Furthermore, this movie is based on two previous films, both entitled, "L'Ronde," which were based on an 1897 play, if my facts are correct. 1970s supermodel Patti Hansen fights a valiant but losing battle with her cab driver's insipid character and stupid lines. Every time Ben Gazzara appeared on screen I felt the impulse to reach for an inhaler as his presence sucked the air out of my small room. John Ritter's then-charming physical comedy talents are over-used and not to good effect: Oops! He tripped (again!) Ohhh! I can't believe he bumped into that table! (Boy, I didn't see THAT coming!)...Etc. The story becomes so tedious--what with all the bumping-into's, walking, stalking, hiding, peeking, signaling--that during one of the interminable crossing-the-street scenes I prayed that John Ritter, Blaine Novak and Ben Gazzara, would be creamed by a New York City bus! Oh! I haven't even mentioned the soundtrack. That's a whole separate disaster. Several times I took off my headphones and looked around to see if someone else had turned on a stereo. Sometimes the soundtrack was loud--in the foreground above the dialogue. Sometimes it was low--in the background. Sometimes there was no music. Sometimes there were back-to-back songs. The Director's Playlist! And all the songs had lyrics, and those lyrics were intended to underscore a theme that was being founded at that moment. Sometimes it was Frank Sinatra. Sometimes it was Johnny Cash. Halfway through the movie Frank Sinatra starts crooning, "They all laughed...." Brilliant! I get it! This movie really IS a stinker! Honestly, it would have been more entertaining (and more enlightening) had the director appeared at these critical junctures holding white poster board displaying a message written in MagicMarker: "See this couple? See how they're reacting to each other? This will become important later. Now, back to my film." I knew what to expect with this movie so I watched it off and on over the course of a weekend while going through boxes of papers. Otherwise I never would have forgiven myself for the waste of time. THE END. September 9, 2007

 They All Bored
What a waste of time this flick is! This has to be one of the worst films ever made by a director with a modicum of talent. I guess director Peter Bogdanovich was trying to deliver a Valentine to New York and thirties screwball but all you get is ennui. The story meanders and is outright incoherent. If you watch this to understand the Dorothy K. Stratten mystique I would direct you to "Galaxina" instead. Better yet is to see "Star 80", Bob Fosse's account of Stratten's life. February 25, 2007

 What a Disappointment
I purchased this movie because I am a big Audrey Hepburn fan. I was so disappointed with the movie. Audrey Hepburn was well past her prime when she made this. She had lost the spark she had in her younger days. There is not much of a plot. Ben Gazarra was terrible. He just wallked around with a smirk on his face and all the women he knew were supposedly smitten with him. He was so miscast in that role. He is a short man and not very masculine. It is hard to imagine women swooning over him. I regret having wasted my time watching this. It did have a good soundtrack and John Ritter was funny as a klutz, and Dorothy Stratton was beautiful, but not too believable. All in all I would not recommend this movie to anyone. January 31, 2007

 Peter Bogdanovich best picture
They All Laughed is a masterpiece. Peter Bogdanovich is the new Orson Welles. No director in the history use "subjective cinema" with such perfection. He's signature visual move is similar to Hitchcock's Rear Window. A little bit like the wonderfull Saint-Jack, he captures the intangible "feel" of New-York. At such moments, this movie becomes almost a non-narrative study of an urban environment. They All Laughed is nice, tender, sweet, funny and sad. Better than the Last Picture Show and Daisy Miller. One of the greatest film ever made. January 15, 2007

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