People are voting emotionally.

Better Late Then Never

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I cannot believe the review I just read about this movie. It makes me want to be in a relationship. I think Neil Simon's writing for this movie is full of great lines and the speech Marsha Mason gives is so wonderful and she really pulls it off. I have played that part over and over and told several people about it who haven't seen the movie. And I thought the chemistry between Caan and Mason was pretty good and they were believable as a couple. I also thought the supporting actors played good roles--the brother (Bologne) and the friend (Harper). It had some good scenery too. The music score wasn't so good. The move is a little slow--a romance--a chic flic, I guess. I loved the ending.

Never got a chance to see this on stage, but it has the kind of dialogue that makes a play great with competent actors. Chapter Two just doesn't work as a movie. James Caen and Marsha Mason certainly have the chops, and for the first 30 minutes, the show is an interesting romantic story.That all ends however, when Caen's charterer has a meltdown and it becomes almost painful to watch. I felt horrible for Marsha Mason, and the emotional baggage, that was heaped upon her character.Even with the eventual resolution, I had no hopes that this ill advised marriage would survive. Joe Bologna, and Valerie Harper, provide a bit of comic relief, but not enough to make me feel much better.Movies are supposed to be a pleasant escape for the most part. If you ever have had relationship problems or not, I doubt you will enjoy this movie much.

For the most part I enjoyed this movie. Neil Simon has created many great plays leading to movies such as Brighton Beach, The Odd Couple, Seems Like Old Times and many, many more. Marsha Mason is definitely talented and able to carry off this somewhat difficult role. I also have loved James Caan in other movies such as Godfather, Misery, Kiss Me Goodbye, Gardens of Stone to name only a few. However, his performance as George Schneider seems lacking in content. His wittiness and humor are great and he shines when doing comedy, but with the drama -- such as when conflicted with a new relationship and ultimately, he jumps into marriage not really knowing his new bride. Also Joseph Bologna and Valerie Harper are excellent as the co-stars who ended up pursuing an extramarital affair. I believe it is really Marsha Mason's superb acting that carries most of this film. She was also great in The Goodbye Girl. The only other problem with the dialog is some of Neil Simon's one-liners for Marsha Mason seem trite and overly worn-out. Simon seems to use the same lines over and over again for other scripts he has written. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Let's get this out of the way first. Marsha Mason is the type of actress that puts a great deal of herself into every part she plays. What Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow were to the writing skills of Woody Allen, Mason was to Neil Simon. An actress who possessed an instinct for the writers mind and interpreted his material better than anyone. In CHAPTER TWO, Mason is at her best when delivering clever Neil Simon one liners. And although she gives it her all, she cannot on her own be expected to put across some of the stickiest dialogue ever written by Neil Simon. Particularly the self righteous overly emotional speech at the end. Not even Meryl Streep could pull that one off !! Simon had written a similar speech for Mason in THE GOODBYE GIRL. About how the character likes herself now and how far she had come in her life and how grown up and wonderful she feels. Mason should have put her foot down with this monologue in CHAPTER TWO. There is no way short of a miracle that any actor can pull gooey dialogue off like that without setting nervousness up in the viewer. This is not to say that Neil Simon has failed with this piece. Some of his words hit a nice autobiographic mark and I like the confessional speech that George (James Caan) gives about all the reasons why he resents marriage the second time around. It's too bad Caan never becomes the part. He's so wooden and uncomfortable in this. Not as the character, but as an actor who can't find his way through the part. Caan looks to Mason knowing she's carrying the weight of the picture and he's hoping her performance will carry him too. The chemistry between them doesn't jell the way it did in Cinderella LIBERTY. Probably due to some of the icky dialogue displayed here. Fortunately there's top notch supporting work by Valerie Harper and Joseph Bologna. Both are at the top of their game here. Simon seems to have written the best scenes for them. While I can forgive Robert Moore's soapy direction, I cannot for my life excuse the awful music score. Indicative of most music in movies between the decade of 1976 through 1986. Inappropriate and sappy in the worst sense.Why would anyone want to be in love after watching this picture and hearing it's sticky music? The feeling of this movie is like one of those old butter commercials with the two lovers running in slow motion towards each other. I must admit to feeling lonely before watching CHAPTER TWO. After it was over I was extremely happy that I was not in a relationship and quite content to be single for a while. Thanks Neil !!