The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

This is a comedy, but there is also a poignancy that makes this movie special. I can not imagine why anyone thought it would be a good idea to remake.   Funny scenes and funny lines aside, the aching for the unattainable and the illusion of perfection is so wonderfully portrayed.. The cast is superlative as is the story line, and although we are laughing we can also sense the underlying pain. It’s a movie that is still relevant and gives us cause to laugh,  but also to think and feel.

The original Heartbreak Kid is the one to see and an entertaining and funny movie it was!   I saw this movie shortly after getting married myself and honeymooning in Miami Beach, as did Lenny and Lila, and many of the scenes and incidents made me laugh and brought back wonderful, familiar memories.  From the beginning there was a hint that the marriage was in for trouble, especially on the drive down to Miami Beach where Lenny, played by Charles Grodin, starts to get disgusted by Lila, played by Jeannie Berlin, as she sings the same songs over and over and gets egg salad smeared all over her face, while eating a sandwich.  When Lila gets a bad case of sun-poisoning on her first day in the sun (which I did too on my honeymoon) she stays in bed while he goes out and meets Kelly, played by Cybill Shepherd, who is a tease and wins Lenny over, while he has to figure out a way to get out of his days old marriage.  Funny, sad, heartbreaking and I am sure that there is something in the movie for everyone that will bring back a memory, event or incident from the past that will make the movie a worthwhile watch.