MovieChat Forums > Barefoot in the Park (1967) Discussion > Dated

Dated

posted 17 years ago by DepecheArsenal
10 replies | jump to latest

I've had this film on tape for the best part of 20 years and finally found the time and inclination to sit down and watch it this New Year's Day. I don't know whay it took me so long to do so - the movie has all the ingredients to hold my interest - the always watchable Robert Redford (one of my favourite actors), a Neil Simon screenplay and the backdrop of New York, my favourite city. The movie was pleasant enough, but I hate to say that ultimately I found this film dated and unfunny. The screenplay is performed rigidly like a performance for the stage and the jokes are predictable.

I like to think of myself as a fan of 60s romcom and I like pretty much every movie I've seen of Robert Redford. What's more, I'm pretty sure if I had watched this when I first recorded it on tv nearly twenty years ago, I would have loved it. However, time has passed and I fear that this movie and Neil Simon's brand of comedy has had it's day. Either that or age has dated me and I've become cynical with it.

I sincerely hope that this is not so....and that the movie is indeed mediocre in comparison to some other romcoms of the period. If not I have to be glad that I viewed other such movies (for example works by Neil Simon and Billy Wilder) when I was young and innocent. Take Billy Wilder's work for example. I rank "Some Like it Hot" and "The Apartment" amongst my top 5 movies of all-time. Would I have done so if I had watched them for the first time now at the ripe old age of 38? I'd like to think so, but I can't be sure. Any other people out there in their mid-late thirties who feel the same?

I've awarded the movie a mark of 6 out of 10 nevertheless.

[–] JLaurel 17 years ago

I'm slightly older than you and I just saw it for the second time, the first happening, probably, about 20 years ago. Well, I loved it the way I did the first time. It made me laugh and definitely put a smile on my face all the way. Mind you, I'm not the romantic type and do not usually enjoy romantic comedies, but there's such a wonderful chemistry among the actors and the dialogues are so funny, that I can't help but find it a great experience. What you consider dated is probably what I like most about it, it has charm, elegance and some sort of naivety and innocence that I do not find in nowadays comedies. Some Like it Hot and The Appartment have more elaborate plots and situations, whereas Barefoot in the Park is very simple and straightforward, but I like them the same.
Cheers.

I'm ready to listen. Are you ready to think?

[–] DepecheArsenal 17 years ago

Thanks for the reply. Don't get me wrong, I like the qualities you seek that aren't so easy to find in today's movies. I just felt BITP wasn't as sharp as other comedies of the day. Maybe it caught me on a bad day.

[–] Bry-2 17 years ago

Remembering that it's a filmed play, with nearly no attempt to make it into a movie, might help you forgive some of it's stiltedness. I think Simon doesn't translate well to the screen unless the script gets a lot of attention. The Odd Couple is a good example, as I recall. Come Blow Your Horn is similarly stage-bound -- and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does help a film age poorly.

--The important thing is Post-its.-- M. Scorsese

[–] thbryn 12 years ago

It is dated for a number of reasons, the most prominent being it's old. I would still like it as a period piece as well as a mildly amusing effort by some heavyweight stars.

Another movie in this grouping might be "Margery Morningstar" which is about ten years older but is also entertaining in gone-by way in addition to top flight acting.

Chains, my baby's got me wrapped up in chains.

[–] lousvr 11 years ago

Haven't seen it since it came out..
Yes.. its dated.. silly.. preditable.. Just gotten out of the Marines and found apt. in village.. not far were movies takes place... but it reminded me of something I hadn't have in so long... YOUNG LOVE..... wow.. brought memories back.. so great....

[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

It's dated in that lots of couples live together these days before getting married and therefore "sometimes" sort out some of these sort of problems arising before they get hitched.

But it's also timeless in that it does as you suggest celebrate:

YOUNG LOVE..... wow..

and also the generally accepted truism that opposites do indeed attract one another.

[–] TheManInOil 9 years ago

Well of course the jokes are predictable - you've seen it before.

I hadn't, and I enjoyed it just fine.

[–] thedearnoman 8 years ago

I find your message dated & unnecessary.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] JohnnyJohnson (284) 10 months ago

I agree 100%, OP. In fact, your post could have been written verbatim by me. I think this kind of comedy has come and gone and is past its spoil date. I've liked other Neil Simon pictures, but this just fell flat for me. I think maybe an early Goldie Hawn could have done this better because we EXPECT her to be braindead and stupid. But Jane Fonda??? Too grating on my nerves. I also would have given 6 out of ten stars, just because Jane and Redford were at their physical primes and I knew it was just the comedy that was bad, and not them.