Reviews
John Chard

John Chard

May 23, 2020
7.0
We're all hurt someplace and we're all looking for a painkiller. Looking for Mr. Goodbar is directed by Richard Brooks and Brooks adapts the screenplay from the Judith Rossner novel of the same name. It stars Diane Keaton, Tuesday Weld, William Atherton, Richard Kiley, Richard Gere, Alan Feinstein and Tom Berenger. Music is by Artie Kane and cinematography by William A. Fraker. Theresa Dunn (Keaton) is a dedicated schoolteacher to deaf children by day, but at night she cruises bars looking for abusive men with whom she can engage in progressively violent sexual encounters. First off it should be noted that the Judith Rosner novel is based on the real life case of the 1973 murder of New York City schoolteacher Roseann Quinn. Also of note is that Rossner was not enamoured with this filmic adaptation. What we have here is a tragic tale set in the promiscuous pre AIDS era of 1970s America. It's a bleak observation of the swinging singles scene of the era, providing caution of patriarch pressures, religious suffocation and the dangers of casual encounters for sexual gratification. Is it any wonder the big hitting critics of the time were nonplussed by it?... The pic generated a lot of buzz for handsome new actor, Richard Gere, even if he does overact, it actually works in context to the brashness of the period. It also introduced Tom Berenger, in what is a frightening portrayal of a very sexually confused man. Tuesday Weld got a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for playing Theresa's sister, which was richly deserved, so much so one wishes she was in the film more. Yet it's Keaton who absolutely shines here, lifting an overlong picture to greater heights. Proving she had more in her armoury than merely playing kooks, Keaton imbues Theresa with a desperation and loneliness that is shattering for viewing purpose. The whole narrative bites with a crushing inevitability, that the nihilistic back drop can only bring pain and misery, and so it proves. Richard Brooks should have sliced at lest thirty minutes from the run time, especially given that the "Theresa fantasy sequences" just come off as pointless and take one out of the heartbeat of the story. Yet this is still a fine movie, not one to be cheered up by of course, but poignant, relative and with the real life story at the core, important. 7/10

Recommendation Movies

6.1
Crime
View
6.1
American Gigolo
American Gigolo1980
5.5
Drama
View
5.5
Sliver
Sliver1993
7.4
Action
View
7.4
A Better Tomorrow
A Better Tomorrow1986
5.9
Crime
View
5.9
I'm Your Woman
I'm Your Woman2020
6.5
Thriller
View
6.5
Into the Night
Into the Night1985
5.6
Horror
View
5.6
The Pact
The Pact2012
6.9
Thriller
View
6.9
Youth of the Beast
Youth of the Beast1963
5.5
Thriller
View
5.5
8 Million Ways to Die
8 Million Ways to Die1986
6.2
Action
View
6.2
Greased Lightning
Greased Lightning1977
5.9
Drama
View
5.9
Chuck & Buck
Chuck & Buck2000
7.9
Thriller
View
7.9
The Third Man
The Third Man1949
8.1
Crime
View
8.1
Joker
Joker2019
8.1
Romance
View
8.1
Call Me by Your Name
Call Me by Your Name2017
7
Action
View
7
Top Gun
Top Gun1986
8.1
Horror
View
8.1
The Thing
The Thing1982
8.5
Comedy
View
8.5
Parasite
Parasite2019
8.4
Crime
View
8.4
Se7en
Se7en1995
8.1
Animation
View
8.1
Soul
Soul2020
7.5
Horror
View
7.5
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead2004
7.2
Adventure
View
7.2
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Force Awakens2015
© 2025 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt