''A Perfect Couple'' is a 1979 romantic-

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

co-written and directed by Robert Altman and starring

Paul Dooley Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor, writer and comedian. He is known for his roles in '' Breaking Away'', '' Sixteen Candles'', and ''Popeye''. Early life Dooley was born Paul Brown on February 22, ...

, Marta Heflin,

Titos Vandis Titos Vandis ( el, Τίτος Βανδής; 7 November 1917 – 23 February 2003) was a Greek actor. Biography Vandis began his career on the Greek stage in the late 1930s. In 1962, he won the Best Actor award for the film ''Poliorkia'' at ...

, and

Belita Moreno Aurabela "Belita" Moreno (born November 1, 1949) is an American actress best known for her roles as Benita "Benny" Lopez on the ABC sitcom '' George Lopez'' and Edwina Twinkacetti and Lydia Markham on '' Perfect Strangers''. Early life Aurabela ...

Plot

An older man, played by

, tries romancing a younger woman, played by Marta Heflin. She is part of a travelling band of bohemian musicians who perform gigs in outdoor arenas around the country. He joins them on the road and tries to fit into their communal lifestyle. The film features multiple musical numbers.

Cast

as Alex Theodopoulos * Marta Heflin as Sheila Shea *

as Panos Theodopoulos *

as Eleousa *

Henry Gibson Henry Gibson (born James Bateman; September 21, 1935 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor and poet. His best-known roles include his time as a cast member of the TV sketch-comedy series ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' from 1968 to 19 ...

as Fred Bott *

Dimitra Arliss Dimitra Arliss (October 23, 1932 – January 26, 2012) was an American actress. Early life and education Of Greek descent, she was born in Lorain, Ohio, on October 23, 1932. She attended Miami University. Career Arliss's acting caree ...

as Athena * Allan F. Nicholls as Dana 115 *

Ann Ryerson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...

as Skye 147 Veterinarian * Poppy Lagos as Melpomeni Bott *

Dennis Franz Dennis Franz Schlachta (; born October 28, 1944), known professionally as Dennis Franz, is an American retired actor best known for his role as NYPD Detective Andy Sipowicz in the ABC television series ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–2005), a role that e ...

as Costa * Margery Bond as Wilma *

Mona Golabek Mona Golabek (born June 23, 1954) is an American concert pianist, author, and radio host. She has appeared with many leading orchestras and made numerous recordings. Golabek co-wrote a book entitled '' The Children of Willesden Lane'' that chron ...

as Mona *

Joel Crothers Joel Anthony Crothers (January 28, 1941 – November 6, 1985) was an American actor. His credits primarily included stage and television work, including a number of soap opera roles, the best known being Miles Cavanaugh on ''The Edge of Night'', ...

as Ben * Susan Blakeman as Penelope Bott * Melanie Bishop as Star

Production

The role of Sheila Shea was originally written for

Sandy Dennis Sandra Dale Dennis (April 27, 1937 – March 2, 1992) was an American actress. She made her film debut in the drama ''Splendor in the Grass'' (1961). For her performance in the comedy-drama film ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1966), she rec ...

. Paul Dooley was seriously allergic to cats though, and when cat-lover Dennis would come to the script readings with up to five cats at a time, he was briefly hospitalized. As a result, Allan Nicholls re-wrote the role of Sheila Shea from an Earth Mother type to the young singer/groupie played by Marta Heflin. The band depicted in the film, Keepin' 'Em Off the Streets, was a real group consisting of actors and singers who had previously worked with Nicholls on Broadway musicals. They had been broken up for a time but reunited specifically for the film.

Music

Songs used in the film include: * "Romance Concerto" (Adieu Mes Amis)" by Thomas Pierson and Allan Nicholls * "Somp'ins Got a Hold on Me" by

Tony Berg Anthony Rains "Tony" Berg (born October 21, 1954) is an American musician, record producer, and A&R representative, in which role he has been described as an "industry guru". Berg's music career began in the late 1970s as a session guitarist wh ...

and

Ted Neeley Teddie Joe "Ted" Neeley (born September 20, 1943) is an American singer, actor, musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for portraying the title role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (1973), a role for which he was nominated for two Gol ...

* "Hurricane" by Tony Berg, Ted Neeley and Allan Nicholls * "Week-End Holiday" by Allan Nicholls, B.G. Gibson and Tony Berg * "Won't Somebody Care" by Tony Berg and Allen Nicholls * "Love Is All There Is" by Allan Nicholls, Tony Berg & Ted Neeley * "Searchin' for the Light" by Tomi-Lee Bradley, Tony Berg, Allan Nicholls and Ted Neeley * "Lonely Millionaire" by

Cliff De Young Clifford Tobin DeYoung (born February 12, 1945)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Ame ...

and Tony Berg * "Fantasy" by Allan Nicholls * "Don't Take Forever" by Allan Nicholls, B.G. Gibb and Tony Berg * "Let the Music Play" by Allan Nicholls and Otis Stephens * "Goodbye Friends" by Allan Nicholls

Reception

Roger Ebert gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote: "The movie looks like several good ideas for several movies, made all at once and regardless of whether the pieces fit easily together. That's too bad, because the movie's got so many interesting things in it, so many original characters and, yes, so much interesting music that it shouldn't have been allowed to become such a stylistic confusion."

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' was negative, writing, "If Mr. Altman keeps on operating at such a small fraction of his powers, his masterworks may begin to look more and more like happy accidents." ''

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), ...

'' wrote, "Immensely likeable in some parts, and a complete turn-off in others, 'Perfect Couple' reaffirms both Altman's intelligence and his inaccessibility."

Charles Champlin Charles Davenport Champlin (March 23, 1926 – November 16, 2014) was an American film critic and writer. Life and career Champlin was born in Hammondsport, New York. He attended high school in Camden, New York, working as a columnist for the ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' called the film "perhaps the least attractive and least interesting movie Altman has ever made. It is also what his movies never have been, which is dull." Bruce McCabe of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' stated, "I don't want to go so far as to say that this film is Robert Altman's creative death knell but it's plain that he's in deep trouble ... Simply put, Altman doesn't seem to be able to tell a story, any kind of story, any more."

Penelope Gilliatt Penelope Gilliatt (; born Penelope Ann Douglass Conner; 25 March 1932 – 9 May 1993) was an English novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and film critic. As one of the main film critics for ''The New Yorker'' magazine in the 1960s an ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' wrote, "This is not a closely thought-out film, or even a fluent one. Altman may be working too fast. The picture is not packed, in dialogue or characterization."

Gilliatt, Penelope Penelope Gilliatt (; born Penelope Ann Douglass Conner; 25 March 1932 – 9 May 1993) was an English novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and film critic. As one of the main film critics for ''The New Yorker'' magazine in the 1960s an ...

(April 16, 1979). "The Current Cinema". ''

''. 143.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perfect Couple, A 1979 films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Robert Altman 1979 romantic comedy films 1979 LGBT-related films American LGBT-related films 1970s musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American musical comedy films Films about musical groups LGBT-related musical comedy films LGBT-related romantic comedy films 1970s American films