The Goodbye Girl
Richard Dreyfuss won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role as Elliot Garfield. At 30, he was the youngest actor to win this Oscar. This record was broken by Adrien Brody when he won the Best Actor Oscar in 2003 for his lead role in The Pianist (2002) at age 29.,The horse drawn carriage near the end of the film passes the same bank twice, going in opposite directions.,Elliot Garfield: I just met Lucy.
Paula McFadden: What did you tell her?
Elliot Garfield: That I was moving into the other room. She seemed to take it in stride.
Paula McFadden: You grow up fast in this apartment. The john is right over there. I'll get the rest of her things out in the morning.
Elliot Garfield: Would you like to stop grinding your teeth for two seconds? The noise is driving me crazy.,Featured in The Making of 'the Goodbye Girl' (1977),Goodbye Girl
Written and Performed by David Gates,Two decades have passed since I first viewed "The Goodbye Girl". I can think of few films that hold up like this Neil Simon comedy. I read in a previous review that the plot is "unbelievable". Am I wrong in recalling that the writer admitted that he got the concept complete from the life of an actor? Just another case of reality possessing more truth than fiction. Richard Dreyfus and Marsha Mason should be added to that rare list of actors whose performances will forever define the characters they portrayed. Elliot Garfield and Paula McFadden belong to them in perpetuity. Played by Quinn Cummings, Lucy McFadden simply made the film work as a sophisticated child who never uttered one cloying word. Bless you Quinn, wherever your are. For someone who has been a friend of actors, and who has adored dancers, every situation in the film rang true. Previous reviews havecovered all the cinematic aspects, so I will just add my accolade: This is a film that rates with the best of Hollywood.,