A Dama de Vermelho

The movie begins with Teddy apparently about to jump off a ledge nine stories up. Why? He starts to tell us how it all began, and we go back to that day with the scene straight out of 'Seven Year Itch', only Charlotte has dark hair and is dressed in red. And it turns out she is a model for the San Francisco cable car ad campaign, which Teddy is involved with. Despite that, Teddy has a lot of trouble meeting this woman, and his attempts meet with humorous results. For example, on more than one occasion he thinks he is talking to her but it turns out to be Ms. Milner, and this is good for a number a laughs.

Teddy, however, shouldn't be thinking about another woman. He is married to Didi and they have two daughters. If Teddy needed any incentive to behave himself, he should keep in mind what happened to Joey when he cheated on Teresa (Joey and Teresa's young son is staying with Teddy and Didi). And apparently he is not destined to have a relationship with Charlotte, because his attempts are just one disaster after another.

Gene Wilder is good as always, especially with physical comedy and when he has to talk his way out of jams. Kelly LeBrock is pleasant and sweet, with a slightly naughty side (I saw an edited version, so I surely didn't see all there was of her). Gilda Radner is nasty in a way that didn't appeal to me, but others might like it. I liked most of the songs by Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder, some of which they did together--though one gets played entirely too much on the radio all these years later and I got tired of it long ago. There is some physical comedy, but plenty of funny situations too. But the movie is not all funny. Some of it is touching, and some parts are depressing.

Some highlights, in addition to Joey's nasty surprise and Ms. Milner's bizarre behavior:

-We hear one side of what may be a very naughty phone conversation at Teddy's workplace.

-A hilarious scene in a nice restaurant where one of Teddy's friends pretends to be blind and causes chaos.

-Shelly, whose hairstyle sort of looks Native American (while black on the sides, it's red and blonde in the middle) even though his parents are Jewish, has come to take Teddy's daughter Missy to a David Bowie concert.

-Didi explains what happened to Joey and Teresa but doesn't say everything.

-Teddy and Didi are getting ready for a big night, but that gets interrupted.

-Teddy's grandmother Mama Dell is celebrating her 85th birthday. I can't say more, but from the time Teddy arrives at her apartment until the end of the movie, everything is great and most of it is very funny. I can say, since this is how the movie began, that Teddy does end up out on a ledge.

This was a pleasant, slightly naughty farce that was really worth seeing.