Such a frustrating disappointment

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Best movie of this year hands down!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Funny, moving examination of '70 s love and malaise. Few films capture the internal feelings of its characters like this film. John Heard, Mary Beth Hurt and Peter Reigert were three of the best(and under utilized) actors of their generation. The great Gloria Grahame is haunting is her last great part.

It's winter. It's cold. Everything seems worse then. And, when you're lonely, miserable and pining for a lost love, that's the worst. We see John Heard get into a car and suddenly Mary Beth Hurt speaks to him from the back seat. But then we see the conversation is in his mind. He still thinks about her. He still needs her, even though she's with someone else. The bittersweet mood is set and we are in for a ride that is both hysterical and somber. It's the kind of laughter that makes us cry. John Heard gives a very understated performance and Gloria Grahame is good as his very kooky mother. And, despite all the fun and love shared between John and Mary Beth in flashback, we see the reality that John refuses to see. He still sits in his car outside her place. He's lost, but finally has to come to terms with survival before he goes crazy. He goes for a candy bar in the lobby of the office-building he works in throughout the film and can never decide what he wants and can't speak up to the blind guy behind the counter, until he finally has a breakdown. This 1979 sleeper really entertains without basking too much in the dumps. Sure it seems depressing, but you never feel down. There's always hope with John Heard's charming personality, Peter Reigert's performance as his friend, and the true-to-life treatment and love for the subject matter by the director Joan Micklin Silver. A tour de force by all concerned and a must-see for all those searching for love.

more aptly describes this gem of a movie. Not on cable as much as lesser films, unfortunately.John Heard is excellent as the unrequited lover, pursuing Laura, a woman in a mediocre marriage, on-again off-again.What is nice about this film is it sort of imitates life: things happen for no reason, odd characters (Gloria Grahame as mom is very good) People with their own quirks and problems. This was filmed in Salt Lake City Utah, and gives us a nice backdrop of emotion, estranged relationships, hopes for the future.Peter Riegert (amusing as the unemployed jacket salesman with a physics background). John Heard is quirky and sympathetic at his office job, where he pours a cup of vodka for himself, trying to figure out how to win Laura back. Mary Beth Hurt is also believable, as a confused woman on the fence about her marriage to an A-frame salesman named "Ox".Joan Micklin Silver is to be commended for her direction in this film. Oddly, I also reviewed an LMN movie she directed, "Hunger Point" with Barbara Hershey. I enjoyed that film. The director seemed to add touches of humanity into that film as well. "Chilly Scenes of Winter" is not to be missed, a nice human film which anyone who has wondered why they can't just have a "normal life", will relate to and enjoy. 9/10.

This is the only American movie I have ever seen that captures the rhythms & nuances of a real "relationship" with perfect pitch. Funny, sad & very rich, perfectly cast, sublimely written, brilliantly directed. I watch it as often as I can & am always delighted. Like listening to a Beethoven sonata.