''See You in the Morning'' is a 1989 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by

Alan J. Pakula Alan Jay Pakula (; April 7, 1928 – November 19, 1998) was an American film director, writer and producer. He was nominated for three Academy Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Picture for ''To Kill a Mockingbird (film), To Kill a Moc ...

, and starring

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...

Alice Krige Alice Maud Krige (; born 28 June 1954) is a South African actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in '' Chariots of Fire'' (1981) as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon. She played the dual role of Eva Galli/Alma Mobley i ...

and Farrah Fawcett. It features music by

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

and Cherri Red. The film's music was composed by

Michael Small Michael Small (May 30, 1939 – November 24, 2003) was an American film score composer known for his scores to the movies '' Klute'', '' The Parallax View'', '' Marathon Man'', and ''The Star Chamber''. Personal life Small was born in New York ...

Plot

While Beth Goodwin (

) is a happily married mother of two children, living with her pianist husband Peter (

David Dukes David Coleman Dukes (June 6, 1945 – October 9, 2000) was an American character actor. He had a long career in films, appearing in 35. Dukes starred in the miniseries '' The Winds of War'' and '' War and Remembrance'', and he was a frequent tel ...

). Psychiatrist Larry Livingstone (

) is living in New York with wife Jo ( Farrah Fawcett) and their two young children. Three years later, Beth's husband Peter suddenly becomes paralyzed in his hands and commits suicide, leaving Beth and the children heartbroken. Larry is abandoned by his wife and two children, who have moved to London since the split. Larry is introduced to Beth at a party thrown by Martin (

George Hearn George Hearn (born June 18, 1934) is an American actor and singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre. Early years Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hearn studied philosophy at Southwestern at Memphis, now Rhodes College before he embarked on ...

) and Sidney (

Linda Lavin Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing the title character in the sitcom ''Alice'' and for her stage performances, both on and off-Broadway. After acting as a child, Lavin joined the C ...

), and an immediate attraction ensues. Larry is distracted, though, by the attendance of Jo, who has shown up with her new flame, actor Jack (

Mark La Mura Mark LaMura (October 18, 1948 – September 11, 2017) was an American actor. His name was occasionally spelled as Mark La Mura or Mark Lamura. Early years LaMura was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, one of six siblings born to Robert E. LaMur ...

). At the end of the night, he goes home with Beth, and is welcomed by her children Cathy (

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...

) and Petey (

Lukas Haas Lukas Daniel Haas (born April 16, 1976) is an American actor and musician. His acting career has spanned four decades, during which he has appeared in more than 50 feature films and a number of television shows and stage productions. Early life ...

). Even though Jo's mother Neenie (

Frances Sternhagen Frances Hussey Sternhagen (born January 13, 1930) is an American actress; she has appeared on- and off-Broadway, in movies, and on TV since the 1950s.Joy, Car"Frances Sternhagen in Talks to Join Company of Broadway Magnolias" Broadway.com, Nov ...

) criticizes him for having given up on his marriage with Jo too fast, Larry continues to see Beth. He introduces his children Robin (Heather Lilly) and Billy (

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...

) to the Goodwins, but they do not blend well together. Robin blames her father for replacing Jo with Beth, and a planned wedding is postponed due to the continuing friction. Sidney, Beth's best friend, advises her to give Larry another chance, explaining how love is not always perfect by giving the example of how Martin once committed adultery. Simultaneously, Larry dresses up as Cupid and convinces her to marry him. Beth soon starts to worry about their future, fearing that Larry will one day abandon her the way Peter did. Larry proposes they move to another apartment, explaining that their current residence will always be Cathy and Petey's father's place. Beth's children are opposed to a move. While Beth is overseas for work, daughter Cathy starts to rebel and is arrested for shoplifting at Bloomingdale's. Larry continues to feel vulnerable to Jo, whose mother is revealed to be dying, prompting Jo to leave the children with Larry. Since the death of Neenie, Larry's focus is on comforting his ex-wife and kids. Jo admits that she still loves him, leaving Larry uncertain what to do. He assures Beth that he did not commit adultery, despite feeling connected to Jo. Cathy and Petey mistake Larry and Beth's night of making love for a violent struggle. They fear that something bad has happened, making the children realize how much they actually appreciate Larry. The whole family agrees to move to a new house.

Cast

Critical reception

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as 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 ...

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 ...

'' criticized the film's script, but praised the cast: Roger Ebert of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...

'' gave it two and a half stars out of four and also felt that the script was not great but that the actors did well:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:See You In The Morning (Film) 1989 films 1980s romantic comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Alan J. Pakula Films scored by Michael Small Films shot in New York City Warner Bros. films 1989 comedy films 1989 drama films 1980s American films