This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

one of my absolute favorites!

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer (Marsha Mason) and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor (Richard Dreyfuss).This is Richard Dreyfuss at perhaps his most offbeat. Sure, Marsha Mason plays the lead and the film is called "the goodbye girl", but I think the movie passes or fails with Dreyfuss. For me, it passes, as he is strangely interesting and fun to watch.The film as a whole is not that amazing. It seems to have secured a few Oscar nominations but few wins. Today (2016), it is not one that most people have heard of. Heck, even Mason is not a household name. Worth a look, but not essential.

Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) is a 33 year old ex-dancer single mother to 10 year old Lucy (Quinn Cummings) living in NYC. Her married actor boyfriend has moved to Spain/Italy for a movie instead of moving out to L.A. with them for a TV show. He sublets his apartment to another actor Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss). The girls are essentially kicked to the streets except Paula refuses to leave. A truce is declared with everybody trying to live together.This is a funny rom-com written by Neil Simon. The kid is adorable. Marsha Mason is the sarcastic bitter momma bear. There are some good exchanges with Dreyfuss who is terrific in this. The writing is sharp and funny. The chemistry does take awhile because Paula is so hostile for much of the movie. The lines come so fast that one can get overwhelmed.

Hold on tight, I am going on a bit of a rant. "The Goodbye Girl" was a very frustrating movie for me to watch. While it's clearly a very good film and I liked Richard Dreyfus' character very much, the writing irritated me as it seemed a bit irresponsible.My problem is with Marsha Mason's character. The film begins and her live-in has apparently dumped her--moving out and leaving a 'Dear Jane' letter (nice guy, huh?). You feel a bit sorry for her until you soon learn that this bum was STILL married and she knew it! And, she'd been married once before. Now it's obvious she's not good at making decisions involving guys. BUT, here's what really bothered me...she had a young daughter and seemed to have no problem with her kid seeing all this chaos. And, in a weird twist, the little girl sounds like the mother--dispensing wisdom and rolling with the punches. And, Mason often seemed to expect her kid to parent her--making her feel good about herself when bad things happen. Considering how wildly popular the film was, obviously most folks didn't feel the way I did. I just found her character difficult to like and the film could have been better had she had failed relationships BUT they were not caused by her own stupidity. Sleeping with a married man?! What man would want a lady like this? To me, this does NOT seem to be the makings for a romantic film! It's sad, really, as the rest of the film was excellent. Richard Dreyfus was exceptional and I could see why he got the Oscar--he was likable but flawed and quite charming. Mason, on the other hand, seemed like an emotional basket-case in need of saving--not a woman a reasonable man would want in his life. So, as a result of loving and hating the film, I was left VERY emotionally torn--frustrated and touched at the same time (which is a very strange feeling!). Well worth seeing but I can't help but wonder if folks watching the film internalized this weird message and perhaps thought Mason's parenting wasn't that bad and might have unconsciously emulated this. Kids need a lot more security in their lives than the one in this film got. It sure seemed like a case of child neglect in order for the mother to make herself feel good.

I suppose in a way I owe a debt of gratitude to this film-it certainly ranks on my list of "essentials" for cutting my own critical chops. The "essentials" I'm referring to are films I absolutely despised that virtually everyone I knew (and the Oscars) liked. For years the mere mention of "pan-tees-hang-ing-in-the-bathroom" could sent me into a rage. Listen, I like Neil Simon- probably more than I should-but this film is crap. The by-play between the leads that usually makes Simon funny falls flat with these two truly mismatched actors. Dreyfuss overacts shamelessly (it's his m.o. in virtually all his lead roles- like Bette Midler he's really only suitable for supporting roles) and begs the question: If John Simon could call Streisand "ugly" what do you call a guy who looks like a gerbil with whiskers? He's truly grotesque, and not just when he's playing gay Richard III (his best moment) his Oscar for this smacks of self congratulation on the part of Hollywood. Marsha Mason is mediocre also a career best. Fortunately for me, sanity prevailed and Dreyfuss sank to a level more befitting his talents (he blamed coke- I prefer to take the optimistic view that the world just came to its senses).This isn't the worst Neil Simon film- just the most overpraised. I watch what I can bear of it from time to time when I feel like patting myself on the back for trusting my judgement way back when.