First Love

I just caught this late night on TCM. I'd probably seen it 30-40 years earlier, but forgot it. My first thought -- this is like an after-school special for the over-18 set. I could tell it would be soft, and corny and talky, and a type of young romance that mostly appealed only to youth of that era. Then I "remembered" I was in college in that era. So I turned on the 70s Wayback Time Machine and tried to remember how I would watch this if I were 20. That's when I realized that this "fit" for a middle-class college kid of those days, who was still trying to figure out romance in a sexual context. I don't remember, but I bet this was hailed as soft-core porn by Playboy, since -- OMG -- Susan Dey's breasts were displayed, and not too briefly, and not in a non-sexual way. The same Susan Dey we all knew from the Partridge Family. Yowza. But old me looking at young Susan Dey? The thrill is long gone. I'm thinking "why were all of us boys so crazy about her?"

Writing-wise, I bet this was inspired by the wildly successful Love Story, another collegiate troubled romance in soft focus and long teary camera shots. It was only six or seven years earlier, and it was still being talked about in the popular culture when this movie released. This was, after all, the age of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the Joy of Sex, Looking For Mr. Goodbar, and all those other now-quaint social commentaries and racy cultural takes.

This movie's ok. It's not bad. It's tame-lame by modern standards, but hell -- it's over 40 years old. Like me.

This time the guy is looking for perfect love. The guy is the romantic. The guy is the partner easily hurt. Based on a short story "Sentimental Education," "First Love" is seen through the tender eyes of a sensitive man. William Katt is that dewy-eyed guy who spots his first love (Susan Dey) in the college cafeteria. She gives him an initial rejection, acts busy, knowing all the while she would be thrilled to date him. Her sad family history and her pointless side affair will strain their romance. The couple's liaison is richly, humorously written. For such a commercial venture, "First Love" has an soul-stirring density not always present in maudlin love stories.

I give this movie such a high score only for the nostalgic feelings it evokes for me. I saw it with my "first". I felt a kinship with Billy Katt as he stumbled through the the physical aspects of making and being in love the first time. It was a total hoot to hear him ask. "Did I make you come?" after the first time. Who the @#$! asks that?? The movie is beautifully photographed. Susan Dey was a gorgeous, if slightly untalented actress. William Katt did a decent job. I forgot that John Heard was in the movie. He is brilliant as always. So, this is not so much a review as a chance for me to remember my "first", who, by the way, I did not marry! I would recommend this movie for those of us who were in college in 1977.

William Katt is very cute as a sweet and naive college student learning about love and sex for the first time. The director does a good job conveying this simplicity as the overall motif for the film. A very appropriate Cat Stevens soundtrack also contributes to the proceedings. Susan Dey is quite good as Katt's older-woman love interest. Then, just when the film has us in its grip, it lets us go in an ending of meaningless platitudes. I still liked it overall, but felt a bit let down with the unimaginitve ending.

I guess I bought this because of William Katt, and because I liked him in other things. The plot sounded great too. Now, put William Katt (who I found beautiful in Carrie) along with the plot of him finding 'love' for the first time, it's a winner! Or not. I didn't not like the movie, I actually did like it! But some things I didn't. The music score was great! The 'theme' song by Cat Stevens, and the song by Paul Williams was great! Sometimes I found Katt annoying though, and sometimes you just don't believe his acting. (i.e. the scene on the bridge when him and Susan are fixing to break up again) Other times he's good. This is just a movie about him growing as a person, and learning. John Heard has a little role in the movie, he doesn't show off his acting skills in this though. Overall, it's a nice movie. 6.5/10.