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i vies Starting Over' trips Comedy , romance don't mix by Thomas R. Cocola partially lies with Alan J. Pakula, co-producer and director, and more specifically with James L. Brooks, the other producer and scriptwriter Pakula and Brooks won't allow the audience an Neil Potter (Burt Reynolds) and his ex-wife Jessica(Candice Bergen) are in a supermarket Neil wants Columbian coffee, but Jessica wants Costa Rican coffee Neil says he won't drink Costa Rican coffee because he doesn't even know where Costa Rica is. They buy Columbian. opportunity to truly explore any character, especially Neil's. Indeed, the comedy is poor, and the stereotypes are even more disgusting After his break-up, Neil is shipped off to a divorced men's counselling session which resembles something out of the defunct Bob Newhart Show. There's a classroom scene where Neil teaches. On his desk is a The scene continues as the two amble through the supermarket. They are trying to figure out what went wrong with their marriage As their conversation reaches its pinnacle, a stockboy informs Neil that Costa Rica is bordered by Panama. shiny red apple Imagine giving one of your professors an apple! Not even high school teachers This is the problem with Starting Over, a movie featuring Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen and Jill Clayburgh. Starting Over has the potential to be a sensitive production: it deals with the problems of a broken marriage from the male's point of view. receive this outdated treatment anymore Reynolds and Clayburgh in ‘Starting Over' The acting ts below par After seeing The End and The Longest Yard, I know Burt Reynolds is Hoping for something to happen capable of good comedy. In Starting Over, he seems helplessly and understandably lost The movie ends in fine comedic Shakespearean tradition with plans for a nuptial that should solve all problems, but the aftertaste of bad timing ruins any chances of the audience being in a festive mood. Instead, the audience realizes that Neil Potter was confronted with a Sternhagen, respectively), and a horny divorcee (played without any insight by Mary Kay Place). Unless you think Burt Reynolds or Jill Clayburgh alone can The problem with Starting Over however, is that the comedy throughout the entire movie Reynolds, like the script, doesn't know whether to act serious or silly, and when he decides to be funny, his timing is painfully late Candice Bergen looks like a recent graduate of the Farrah Fawcett school of acting; she series of insignificant stereotypes, like the counseling sessions, a \concerned\ older brother and sister-in-law (played effortlessly by Charles Doming and Frances doesn't compliment the plot but interrupts it. redeem a movie, there's little to this movie. Serious or silly? There are other examples. After making love with his girlfriend Marilyn (Jill Clayburgh), Neil wakes up for another day of teaching at a junior college. Marilyn awakes shortly afterwards, and feels she was the victim of a one-nighter. She chases after Neil to protest, and Neil tells her that he is merely going to work, and indeed will call her again. Marilyn feels rejoiced —<o rejoiced that when she cries, an embarrassing accumulation of snot escapes from her nose. Once again, a potentially beautiful and significant scene interrupted by a vulgar, mis-timed comedic act. The fault with this movie utters no more than ten words at at time, and her wardrobe consists solely of tacky see- through blouses and disco slacks. Jill Clayburgh's performance is the only redeeming factor in the entire movie. Except for the aforementioned scene, her sense of comedic timing is brilliant, and Ms. Clayburgh proves once again she is the hottest young actreess in (Hollywood, save for Jane Fonda and Merryl Streep. iiiiSteiifinfmr Starni| and iitlei by GRAHAM HM U IS. 1!Hi. B C III. II IIS. MW i» Ink Was Eli ill. 1118 Oil UdliJOHR iSSil Directed hy MY JONES Aniiatiw&Desfiiy IHK 6IUUM WltTWiCTI AHWWOt/OWOff PICTURES RELEASE tNuvwu»e»eo&OA Wtecnoi CowwunicHiDm Company „c- ttr* rrrxow (mowty) pictures ltd all mqkts reserved UNDER 17 REQUIRES ACCOMPANYING PARENT OR ADULT GUARDIAN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON WARNER RECORDS & TAPES READ THE PAPERBACK FROM FRED JORDAN BOQKSGRQSSET A DUNLAP, Opening soon at a theatre near you r»*rpfrf‘ rrV | MAPLE FOREST I & II Matinees 1360 North Forest Sat. & Sun. $1.00 688-5775 Evenings $ 1.50 Qi'icmacio 0/icat/ic 1 3176 Main St. 833-1331 Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange Evenings 7:15 & 9:30 Matinees - Sun. 2, & 4:15