Just the Way You Are

My review was written in November 1984 after a screening on Manhattan's UES.

"Just the Way You Are' is a glossy MGM romantic comedy featuring a fine cast, witty dialog and ggs by scripter Allan Burns but precious little in the way of a payoff to attract the paying customer. It's a shame, since pic is diverting in parts and sports a social conscience to boot.

Troubled production history (recalling an earlier MGM flop, "Brainstorm") had the film, titled "I Won't Dance", shut down midway through production (commencing Nov. 1, 1982 due to a "chemical imbalance" experienced by lead Kristy McNichol. Pic finally restarted in December 1983.

McNichol topline as Susan Berlange, a flautist with a ballet company orchestra in an unidentified U. S. city (actually Toronto-lensed) who is crippled, wearing a leg brace and highly self-conscious about her condition. She has a romantic fling with Sam (Robert Carradine, quite affecting in a brief, key role) who at first makes a play for her ballerina pal Lisa (Kaki Hunter, making the best with a part that calls for too many "flat chest" lines). Her gammy leg creates a problem (love vs. Pity) and Susan is glad to go on a European concert tour (30 minutes into the film), fleeing both Sam and her fiance, a gayboy stock broker (Timothy Daly), in a proposed marriage of convenience.

In France, she hits upon the clever notion of putting a cast on her leg to pose as a skiing casualty, rightly figuring that for once she will be accepted as normal, at a ski resort. There she falls in love with a handsome photographer Peter (Michael Ontkean) but is reminded constantly of her deception by the presence of a one-legged (car accident) ski magnate Francois (Andre Dussolier) who is romancing her French roommate Nicole (Catherine Savia). Contrived happy ending is an unconvincing letdown.

Film is wildly uneven, best in the early North American segment which includes several hilarious scenes making fun of the way society treats the handicapped (especially a pertinent one when McNichol and Hunter try waiting in line at a movie theater). Last hour in France is strong in travelog elements but weak on comedy or pathos.

Picture does serve to adequately move young star McNichol into screen adulthood, often resembling the 1969 Patty Duke classic "Me, Natalie" in both theme and format. Supporting cast is excellent, though male lead Ontkean emerges colorless after an array of tantalizing partnere for McNichol's affections precede him to the batter's box. Director Edouard Molinaro (best known for helming "La Cage aux Folles" and its sequel) maximizes the comic potential but has trouble pulling it all together. Tech credits are solid.

Some might dismiss this as Hollywood fluff, but I thought it was a very well done examination of meaningful issues, issues that are very important to me personally.

I'll start with the positive: it takes place in the Alps, so the scenery is magnificent (especially the hot-air balloon scene). Kristy McNicol is just adorable in this movie. You can't help rooting for her. And the overall message is quite positive ( you have to accept yourself the way you are and other people will love you for it)

But...the first 45 minutes of the movie are a bit useless. She has 3 love interests who bring absolutely nothing to the rest of the movie. She's a concert flutist, but she could have had any job that would bring her to Europe. The script is pretty cheesy overall.

But it brought me back to the mid-80's, when I was a teenager...the hair, the colourful clothes, the synthesizers... nice little movie!

I have always loved this movie. Give it a shot and don't rely on the snide reviews on here. This movie is not suppose to be Schindler's List. Now over 20 years later the movie is now available on DVD, I got mine from Moviesunlimited.com. It has been remastered and is in widescreen format. This movie accomplishes just what it is suppose to, a breezy romantic comedy with an original plot. Kristy is wonderful and Michel Ontkean fresh from his groundbreaking role in "Making Love" is not only HOT but a gentle caring man in this role. Another reviewer stated that they didn't like it when McNicole was more "kid like" in the later half of the movie. Well of course is she like a child, she has been in a leg brace (due to post polio infection) and she never had a normal childhood, so of course she is going to be somewhat childlike doing things she has never done before. If you are looking for a good rainy day movie then watch "Just the Way you are" it's a good flick that leaves you feeling happy for the characters and makes you also look at how you treat others and how others treat you, without making it a 2 1/2 hour bore fest of background story and intellectual crap.

In New York City, Susan Berlanger (Kristy McNichol) is a concert flutist with a lame leg. Gay investment banker and friend Frank Bantam (Tim Daly) had proposed a marriage of convenience and moving them to Texas. Her best friend Lisa Elliott is a dancer. Jack is her telephone answering service and wants a date despite never met her. Sam Carpenter asks for a date with Lisa but falls for Susan instead. Somehow, her bum leg always get in the way. While on an European tour, she convinces a doctor to put a leg cast on her and goes to a ski resort pretending to have a leg injury. Photographer Peter Nichols (Michael Ontkean) is taken with her convinced that she's hiding a secret.

This movie is split in two. For the first part, the movie introduces three romantic possibilities for Susan. That's plenty enough to last a whole rom-com movie. She has a best friend. The whole movie is set up but it's really only a set up to introduce the premise. The premise could have been introduced with fewer characters and a shorter time. In fact, Ontkean is introduced after over forty minutes and he's the romantic partner. That's halfway into the movie. It's too late and his meet cute is inferior to both Jack and Sam. There is a cheesy music montage and that's fun. I do like the second half. I just wish that it gets there quicker.