The Four Seasons (1981)

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The only redeeming feature of this film was Bess Armstrong's hotness. She looked gorgeous. That's it. Carol Burnett was absolutely not funny, Rita Moreno was bland as cottage cheese, and Alan Alda was...well...Alan Alda, the schmuck who would probably much rather watch figure skating than a football game. The line where Alda says, "He's the Muhammad Ali of mental illness" was stolen directly from a line on "The Bob Newhart Show". When, at the beginning of the movie, Sandy Dennis is dumped by her husband, it was a rather shocking blow to this close-knit group of best-friend couples. Yet she was ultimately betrayed because everybody accepted it. In reality, it would have been her philandering husband who would have been kicked out. Instead, even the two other women of the group seemed quite unsympathetic. The ending seemed to address some issues. Bess Armstrong's character lost her cool and complained loudly about not feeling a part of the group and having to please her fiancé's friends. But when Alan Alda's character fell into a snit and tried to trash the lodge room, it seemed like a wimpy guy flailing around hoping to get a hug.Pretty pathetic. It's basically about elitist upper-class people acting like they're better than everyone and not having a good time.

This is probably one of my favorite films of the '80's. I watch it every time it comes on t.v. and I did see it when it came out originally. I relate to the characters in the movie and see them in friends and acquaintances every day. The comedy is excellent both in the delivery and response. If I feel down or depressed about something, I can feel better just by watching this movie. It makes me laugh and I think this is the main reason for the movie in the first place. I believe in laughter being a positive influence and Carol Burnett is second only to Lucille Ball in making one laugh! Alan Alda is a perfect match to Carol and with the support of Rita Moreno's constant ethnic expletives you have good reactions between all the characters.

A film with many interesting ideas about friendships and relationships, it is acted realistically and one gets to know and understand each of the individual characters quite well. The episodic nature of the film makes it feel a tad disjointed, lacking in sense of time, and it really could have been better left to just drama, and not comedy. Still, the film manages to insert both moments that are genuinely funny, and others that are dramatically gripping. Some sections are a bit awkward when Alda tries for comedy, but the drama really hitting home makes up for this. It may not be perfect viewing, but this is still excellent stuff.

When I first saw this film in the 1980s with a bunch of girlfriends, we all practically fell out of our seats with laughter. Alan Alda did a fantastic job of demonstrating mid-life crises and poignancy. There are wonderfully funny scenes with terrific characters. How many of us wonder about our marriages, how would you act if a couple you know and love broke up and he brings home a blonde bimbo/trophy wife? Would you cease the friendship, try to help the former wife, how would you handle such a tricky situation and what impact would it have on your own marriage? Alan Alda addresses it all with classy humor, nailing the reactions perfectly, writing crisp, clean copy and directing beautifully. The film is still fresh today with its humor and pathos.