Never Again

In New York, Grace (Jill Clayburgh) and Christopher (Jeffrey Tambor) are two lonely souls of fifty and something years old. Jill has not had sex for seven years, and the straight Christopher is very insecure with his masculinity. Both of them have made a promise in the past that they would never fall in love again. When they meet each other, they have a very complicated affair and of course in the end they fall in love for each other. This irregular low budget movie explores an important theme completely disregarded by Hollywood: sex after fifty years old. The story looks like a "Sex and the City" of middle-aged women and has many good jokes and situations. The problem is the trailer released by the distributor. I saw it a couple of days ago, and it shows the best parts of the story, spoiling the funny situations. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Coisas do Amor" ("Things About Love")

I am totally enthralled with this film. Not only is the script, acting (for the most part), and the directing superb-- it has a plot that is not seen in ever other love film known to man! I would have given the movie a 10 out of 10, but I have an issue with a handful of aspects about it. I didn't like a lot of the soundtrack; the songs just did not seem to fit the mood of the film in the beginning. Also, there is a cheese factor towards the end. However, if that is all that can be wrong with a film, then it is near perfection in my book. This film deals with real life issues, underneath the humor, and is so well written from both the male and female aspects of things that I kept wondering if two people had written it. (Imagine my surprise when a man had done it. He's got us down pat, ladies!) Plus, it isn't afraid to show a sexual side to humanity beyond 35-- a triumph for this day and age. Currently, this movie is my favorite of all time, and in my opinion, is a masterpiece that everyone should take the time to watch.

Eric Schaeffer's film was a detour from all the thrillers that opened in the summertime. This "small" picture proves that with the right ingredients, an enjoyable movie could be made.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the great Jill Clayburgh return to film, after being away for a while, in a starring role. She makes this woman believable and it's a pleasure to watch her fall in love with a man who is real and not a stereotype. Jeffrey Tambor, is right up to the challenge to make this man the object of Ms Clayburgh's affections.

This is a very "NewYorkish" type of film. We have known people like the girlfriends that push Ms. Clayburgh to take a chance in dating. Also, Jeffrey Tambor's world is easy to believe. He's the ugly duckling who has a lot to offer underneath his plain facade.

Life in this film seems to begin late in the life of the main characters. It was a joy to have seen this movie.

A romantic farce with complications. The movie loves its over-50 characters yet presents them behaving ridiculously in outrageous situations.

Core to "Never Again" is the perspective and experience of liberated, divorced, over-50 women with sexual relationships. These are presumed and exemplified without being examined. Under 25 women, even the heroine's daughter, show themselves to be inert, callow dolts. Their parents live vivid lives with humor and pain, joy and despair, wit and incredulity, dignity and abnegation. So the generational roles are reversed from the usual teenage romantic comedy; that will keep a lot of viewers away. Additionally, the movie frankly talks and pictures frank abundant and diverse sex, which will keep a lot of over-25 women away.

The movie's topic, two individuals in a romantic relationship, interests woman most, but structurally the movie is presented as symmetrical among the genders, with an early alternation between the lives and concerns of its male and female leads. Further, both have friends who are core to the movie: the other half of a jazz duet in the case of Christopher and two close gabbies for Grace. In the end, though, "women do more of everything," as Christopher's buddy says, and our hero confesses to Grace that "you were right about everything," so we are back to women-centric starting place.

Curiously, the words do not match the deeds portrayed. While Grace complains (and we are supposed to agree) that Christopher has a standard Madonna/whore complex about women, nothing of the sort is pictured. Rather, the relationship starts in sex, and he comes to love and appreciate her fully through what is revealed in sex and develops as part of sex. Again, while Christopher supposedly fears intimacy, no fear is actually shown -- he relishes intimacy and honesty (and has a male friendship exemplifying these) and the under 25 women bore him because they offer neither. Instead, threats to the relationship come from the constraints of social context -- the daughter, the friends, and the social demands to be insincere and superficial. When these press in, Christopher starts having second thoughts.

Claybaugh is outstanding -- I haven't laughed so hard in years as I did at her strap-on scene. What would the part look like performed with less skill and charm? Unpleasant, perhaps. Grace carelessly injures her daughter, her friends, and her boyfriend whenever things don't go exactly her way. The farce, the happy ending, the acting, and the perspective all move attention away from the heroine's actual problems. She is brave, inventive and winsome, and we over-50 males are happy to fall in love with her.

I think you have to be over 50 to enjoy this film. The humor is mostly sublime not the stupid, over-the-top site gags that drive most of todays immature comedies. I watched this film alone and laughed out loud till my sides ached. That could be because I have arthritis and fibromyalgia and I'm one of those "Never Again" used and abused people.