THE GOODBUY GIRL

THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977)
dir: Herbert Ross

THE GOODBUY GIRL
Sick #122, August 1978
w & a: Dave Manak

Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss) comes to New York to what he thinks will be a vacant apartment, but the person he sublet it from walked out on his wife Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) and daughter Lucy (Quinn Cummings) and they're still there. He legally has the rights to the apartment and they agree to share it.

Elliott is an actor, Paula is making a comeback as a theater dancer now that she has to support herself. She hasn't done it in a while and needs to get back in shape. Elliott's director for Richard III, Mark (Paul Benedict) wants him to play the role as a mincing, lisping, gay stereotype.

Paula and Lucy go to see Elliott on the opening night of the play, and compliment him to spare his feelings, even though they hated it. He comes home drunk after seeing the reviews than universally pan his performance, and the show has closed on opening night. Paula's too out of shape to be a dancer, but gets a job as a car show model.

Elliott goes to see Paula at the car show and embarrasses her, but makes up for it claiming to be a rich man to her bosses. He gets a job as a doorman at a strip club and gets punched out trying to break up a fight. Later, he seduces her and she comes home from work one day and is surprised by him having a romantic dinner on the roof.

Lucy, who liked Elliott throughout the movie, hates him now that he and her mother are romantically involved, because she doesn't want to get hurt again. He's with a new theater company now and the director Oliver Fry (Nicol Williamson) offers him a part in a film. He tells the news to Paula and she's afraid another actor has left her, but at the last minute he returns and asks her to come with him.