''A Change of Seasons'' is a 1980 American

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

directed by Richard Lang. It stars

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

and

Bo Derek Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins; November 20, 1956) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a child model before deciding to pursue acting on the advice of a talent agent she met through actress Ann-Margret, who was acqua ...

. The film was a critical and commercial failure, grossing $7.2 million against its $6 million budget and receiving three nominations at the

1st Golden Raspberry Awards The 1st Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 31, 1981, at founder John J. B. Wilson's living room alcove to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 1980. For it was a double feature of ''Can't Stop the Music'', winner of Wor ...

including Worst Actor (Hopkins) and Worst Screenplay.

Plot

When Karyn Evans discovers her arrogantly self-centered

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

husband Adam is having an affair with student Lindsey Rutledge, she is out for revenge. She retaliates by having a dalliance of her own with philosophical campus carpenter Pete Lachappelle. Adam is infuriated when he learns about his wife's new relationship, and she in turn defends her right to enjoy the same carnal pleasures he does. The four decide to share a

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

, where their efforts to behave like liberal people are tested by

angst Angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity. ''Anguish'' is its Romance languages, Latinate cognate, equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin. Etymology The word ''angst'' was introduced in ...

, hurt feelings, and Kasey Evans, who unexpectedly arrives to confront her parents with their outrageous

behavior Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions of Individual, individuals, organisms, systems or Artificial intelligence, artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or or ...

, who makes sure to put her parents back on the right track.

Production notes

The film was shot on location in

Glenwood Springs, Colorado Glenwood Springs is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality and the county seat of Garfield County, Colorado, Garfield County, Colorado, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, the ...

and

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. Located in Berkshire County, the town is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statis ...

. Hopkins and MacLaine famously did not get along during the filming, and Hopkins said "she was the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with." The theme song "Where Do You Catch the Bus for Tomorrow?" was written by

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Kurdish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

and

Marilyn Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celeb ...

and

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

and performed by

Kenny Rankin Kenneth Joseph Rankin (February 10, 1940 – June 7, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter in the folk rock and singer-songwriter genres; he was influenced by jazz. Rankin often sang notes which were in a high range to express emotion. ...

. Originally,

Noel Black Noel Black (June 30, 1937 – July 5, 2014) was an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. Black was born in Chicago, Illinois. He won awards at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival for an 18-minute short subject filmed in ...

was hired to direct after producer Martin Ransohoff had seen his film, '' A Man, a Woman, and a Bank'' (1979). Black left the film during shooting due to creative differences. He was replaced by Richard Lang. Black shot the first half of the film only. ''Consenting Adults'' was the film's working title.

Principal cast

..... Karyn Evans *

..... Adam Evans *

..... Lindsey Rutledge *

Michael Brandon Michael Brandon (born Michael Feldman; April 20, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as James Dempsey in the British drama series ''Dempsey and Makepeace'' (1985–1986) and narrating the American dub of the children's televisio ...

..... Pete Lachapelle *

Mary Beth Hurt Mary Beth Hurt (''née'' Supinger; born September 25, 1946) is a retired American actress of stage and screen. She is a three-time Tony Award-nominated actress. Notable films in which Hurt appears include ''Interiors'' (1978), '' The World Accor ...

..... Kasey Evans * Edward Winter ..... Steven Rutledge *

K Callan Katherine Elizabeth Callan (née Borman; born January 9, 1936) is an American actress and writer, known for playing Clark Kent's mother Martha in the ABC television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. She has most recently ...

..... Alice Bingham * Rod Colbin ..... Sam Bingham *

Steve Eastin Steve Eastin (born June 22, 1948) is an American actor, acting teacher and author. He has appeared in more than 300 television, film and stage roles throughout his career. Early life and education Eastin was born in Colorado, where he began to ...

..... Lance *

Billy Beck Billy Beck (born Frank Billerbeck; May 26, 1920 – June 29, 2011) was an American clown and character actor. Life Born Frank Billerbeck on May 26, 1920 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Billy did drawings of clowns as a kid. Beck fought in Wo ...

..... Older Man *

Karen Philipp Karen Philipp (born September 7, 1945) is a retired American singer and actress. Career Philipp came to national prominence in 1968 when she was hired as one of the two female vocalists in the second iteration of Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66, ...

..... Young Girl *

Paul Bryar Paul Bryar (born Gabriel Paul Barrere; February 21, 1910 – August 30, 1985) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly half a century, he appeared in numerous films and television series. Career Bryar appeared in nearly 220 fil ...

..... Man at Table

Critical reception

In his review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'',

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

said the film "exhibits no sense of humor and no appreciation for the ridiculous ... the screenplay soften dreadful ... the only appealing performance is Miss MacLaine's, and she's too good to be true. ''A Change of Seasons'' does prove one thing, though. A farce about characters who've been freed of their conventional obligations quickly becomes aimless." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' observed, "It would take the genius of an

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; ; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; a ...

to do justice to the incredibly tangled relationships in ''A Change of Seasons'', and director Richard Lang is no Lubitsch. The switching of couples seems arbitrary and mechanical, and more sour than amusing." ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' rates it one out of a possible four stars, adding the film "is as predictable as a long Arctic winter, and just about as interesting ... Marybeth Hurt ... steals what there is of the picture to steal." ''

Time Out London ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

'' calls it "kitsch without conviction, schlock without end ... glib trappings ... and witless dialogue sink everything except for the perky intelligence of MacLaine, who clearly deserves better than this."''Time Out London'' review

Awards and nominations

The film had the dubious distinction of garnering three nominations at the first

Golden Raspberry Awards The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzi ...

. * Nominated, Worst Actor (

) * Nominated, Worst Song (''Where Do You Catch the Bus for Tomorrow?'' by

Alan Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celeb ...

) * Nominated, Worst Screenplay (

Erich Segal Erich Wolf Segal (June 16, 1937January 17, 2010) was an American author, screenwriter, educator, and classicist who wrote the bestselling novel '' Love Story'' (1970) and its film adaptation. Early life and education Born and raised in a Jew ...

Ronni Kern Ronni Kern is an American film and television writer and producer. Kern is best known for writing such films as ''American Pop'' and ''A Change of Seasons (film), A Change of Seasons'', as well the miniseries and television movies ''Helen of Tr ...

, and

Fred Segal Fred Segal is an American clothing and accessories retail brand founded in 1961. In 2024 the brand announced it would close its online store and most of its physical retail stores. Stores There were six Fred Segal locations in the United Sta ...

)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Change of Seasons, A 1980 films 1980 comedy-drama films 20th Century Fox films Films scored by Henry Mancini American comedy-drama films Films directed by Richard Lang (director) Midlife crisis films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language comedy-drama films Films set in Vermont