Funny About Love (1990) User Reviews

Tedious, unrealistic, and worst of all, NOT funny

[Captain Ed · 4/10 · 26 July 2003]

There is nothing quite so painful as a comedy that isn't, and unfortunately Gene Wilder is is making more and more of them. Normally both Wilder and Christine Lahti are talented performers, but this script would win awards for boring. Not only that, but Lahti and Wilder have no chemistry at all, and it just gets worse when Mary Stuart Masterson is brought into the picture.

This is one of those "slice of life" 80's pictures that resemble nothing more than a bad Lifetime TV movie. Wilder's reactions run the gamut from unrealistic to inappropriate; when he's consoling Masterson in their break-up scene, it's like a father with a daughter, which (quite frankly) I found exceedingly creepy. The relationship with Lahti falls apart realistically enough, but with no humor, wit, or even insight possible as Lahti plays it straight and Wilder plays it far too broadly, even for a comedy.

** SPOILERS **

When he and Lahti get back together at the end, it's all rushed together, complete with an adopted baby coming out of nowhere, and with Lahti's lipstick still damp on Wilder's lips from their first kiss, she introduces Wilder and baby to a restaurantful of strangers as her family. For that matter, the way his mother dies (and how flip Wilder is about it throughout the rest of the movie) conflicts terribly with the way he treats his father when he starts dating again. Nothing in this movie makes any sense or bears any resemblance to human interaction.

In short, no subtlety, no humor, no great or even good performances (none bad either, except the inexplicable Susan Ruttan, doing her autistic impression once again), no connection to reality whatsoever. Let's hope that Wilder hooks up with Mel Brooks and they both turn out something that makes us forget their work from the last fifteen years or so.

"I know my timing stinks but look at this, look at all the stuff I know, isn't that worth something? It's gotta be worth something."

[oOoBarracuda · 5/10 · 22 June 2016]

Friend Leonard Nimoy directed Gene Wilder in his 1990 film, Funny About Love. Also starring Christine Lahti and Mary Stuart Masterson, this romantic comedy showed the struggle of the human need to reproduce and the struggles that come with infertility. Funny About Love is nothing spectacular but goes the distance in describing a difficulty felt by 1 in every 8 couples with some humor. Human life is full of decisions, just as it is changing our minds about those decisions, Funny About Love shows this inextricable part of human life through one New York City couple.

Duffy Bergman (Gene Wilder) is on top of the world in his field as a renowned political cartoonist. One night at a book signing he is hosting, he tastes some horrible cappuccino and since "coffee is very important to him" he decides he must meet the person responsible for the dreadful cup. When he is taken to her, he is instantly smitten with her beauty and attempts to get Meg (Christine Lahti) to agree to a date with him. Although initially reluctant, Meg is eventually won over by Duffy's lighthearted comedic disposition and agrees. The two eventually marry and decide, in spite of Duffy's reservations to have a child together. After three years of infertility treatment, Meg is dejected and sick of failure and wishes to stop trying to conceive. Never really getting over his uncertainties, Duffy was thrilled with Meg's decision. As Meg's culinary career kicks into overdrive during the respite from attempting to have a child, Duffy begins to actually want to have a baby. This time, it is Meg that is unsure and wants to wait to have a baby. The constant battle of when and if to have a baby proves to be too much for their marriage and the two separate. In their time apart, they both realize what they really want; but can they get what it is they want with each other?

Gene Wilder plays the quirky jokester of a cartoonist well, and Christine Lahti plays his lighthearted wife well. The two share a beautiful on-screen chemistry making the otherwise forgettable film more fun to watch. There's nothing really to take away from this story unless you are a fan of one of the principles. The writing struggles through the entire film, being very abrupt in all the right places. I can't understand how Gene Wilder was in this film. The incredibly personal story line of the intense struggle of infertility and in- vitro fertilization after losing his wife the year prior to cancer after experiencing years of infertility. That is the aspect I take most from this film. I gain more respect for Wilder as an actor for being able to endure such a plot that so closely resembles his own life.

Today something like this would be called a 'Dramedy.'

[CaptainSixPack · 4/10 · 1 October 2007]

I've noticed a lowest common denominator here in past reviews. People watched this with the automatic assumption that this was going to be a full-blown, slapstick 'Comedy.' Nothing could be further from the truth, as this isn't the story being told.

Had this been made today, it would be considered a 'Dramedy.' It's not story-driven enough to be a full-fledged drama, and it's not sophomoric enough to be a comedy. It lies somewhere in between, and that's not entirely a bad thing. The collapse of Duffy's marriage to Meg is realistic enough. They cannot conceive a child, which Duffy clearly feels he needs at this point in his life. He keeps pushing this with Meg, and what do you think happens? Of course she's going to feel pressure, especially when she's just been handed her dream job. We never really see 'all' of the events leading to their divorce, but this was clearly an event in the making.

What follows is what any person would do following the demise of a long-term marriage/relationship. You go out and try and find someone else in order to start again, if anything to prove that the original break-up wasn't entirely your fault. But regrettably, as Duffy finds out, this doesn't always work either. He tries for someone younger (Masterson), but it becomes frighteningly apparent that perhaps it wasn't Meg or Daphne with the conception issues, but Duffy himself.

On a side-note, Duffy's a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to relationships, as he lambastes his own father who decides not long after his wife's death, to get married again. Duffy has no problem moving on from Meg, but has distinct thoughts of how his father's life should progress. I do find a particular scene at his mother's funeral to be incredibly touching. A child runs past Duffy, crying. He picks up the child to reassure him/her that everything is going to be all right, and despite his earlier braggadocio with his father, he completely breaks down at his culminated losses. (Namely the loss of his mother and the acceptance of the fact that he and Meg will never have a child.) Is this one of the classics of all time? No. The ending, as referenced elsewhere, is extremely rushed and a little too clinically 'nice' for me. Should scenes have been deleted? Yes. Namely the ice diaper and Duffy donating sperm scene. This two different films squished together, by Leonard Nimoy. Neither of which would've probably been good on their own merits, but together, they try their best to tell a story about flawed individuals. It's about a four out of ten.

It's not as bad as other people have made it out to be.

Funny How Love Isn't Funny In This Movie

[hausrathman · 1/10 · 30 November 2002]

Cartoonist Gene Wilder's marriage to Christine Lahti falls apart after they fail to conceive a child, but they manage to get back together after Gene has lots of sex with a younger woman. Love might be funny, but this film is something else entirely. Sure, there are a few laughs, but not enough to make this poorly-structured, badly-directed film work. it's about time for Leonard Nimoy to ask Scotty to beam him up. By the way, the soundtrack sucked too.

"Love" is a battlefield...

[FeverDog · 2/10 · 8 November 2003]

...littered with the corpses of competency, credibility and reason. I completely agree with the majority of comments already posted here; this is a very bad movie in every possible way, but I'll skip past the shockingly subpar directing since it's not the worst aspect of the production. (Spock, after all, helmed the best STAR TREK movie I've seen. Okay, THE VOYAGE HOME is the *only* STAR TREK movie I've seen, but it remains the highest-grosser in the series, which must mean Trekkies approved of it.)

*SPOILERS*

Let's instead consider the writing. The oddest thing about FAL is that nobody seems to notice that Gene Wilder's character is a deranged nutcase. Here's a guy who contorts his face during every conversation; makes tasteless, inappropriate, glib comments about his mother shortly after her death; cradles his girlfriend in his arms like a child with a scraped knee; and, during perhaps the strangest scene in a movie chock-full of them (this one at a fertility clinic), has apparently never masturbated before and hasn't a clue as to how to do it now. He also has a bizarre, unexplained obsession with cappuccino, which I guess is supposed to make him colorful but in reality makes him a weirdo. All of these factors makes him incapable of relating to others in any recognizable human manner, and as a result he has no romantic chemistry with either woman in his life.

Which is odd in itself, because both females also exhibit alien behavior. Christine Lahti falls for this nutball for no reason outside their shared previous failed marriages. Like, two dates and Bam! She's moving in with the guy. (Why did the movie have them live together before marriage when the ceremony directly followed the domestic cohabitation? Doesn't anyone wait until marriage before sharing a bed anymore?) She just as quickly dumps the guy, for the unpardonable sin of really, really wanting a child. These neurotics clearly deserve each other, if for no other reason than to keep these freaks out of the dating pool.

The pixieish Mary Stuart Masterson also resembles a humanoid. This is a girl who drags her boyfriend into the locker room at Madison Square Garden to have an NBA star tell him she's pregnant. Who, immediately after miscarrying, drops her boyfriend (who's twice her age) and moves across the country for some job that's presumably been waiting for her all this time. (Must be nice to be so needed in your profession right out of college.) Really, what planet are these people from? Maybe all of this is some kind of Vulcan mating ritual the director imposed on the script, for I have no other explanation.

One boring yet incomprehensible scene follows another. There are no laughs to be found, nor any real depiction of human love. Not one moment of true interaction between upscale New Yorkers. The last scene of this debacle is the phoniest of all, which had me literally groaning and rubbing my eyes. Out of nowhere a "happy" ending arrives, which is so contrived, and so poorly edited, I was, frankly, dumbfounded. In it, Wilder barges into Lahti's restaurant proclaiming his newfound outlook on having a child. He doesn't want one anymore. But, ta-da! Lahti has already adopted a baby, which is conveniently resting in a bassinet in the kitchen. Never mind the questionable practice of keeping a baby in a bustling room full of hot food and busy servers. What happens next? Group hug before Lahti takes them out to the dining room to announce to a room full with patrons, "This is my family," which is met with delighted applause. Check, please.

FUNNY ABOUT LOVE is an total embarrassment from beginning to end for everyone involved, especially Wilder. There is no reason for it to be seen other than as a study of abnormal human behavior.

p.s. If Gene was still mourning Gilda's death, why did he agree to star in a "romantic" "comedy"? A dramatic supporting role would have been more suitable.

Extremely weak romantic comedy...

[moonspinner55 · 2/10 · 16 March 2006]

Gene Wilder struggles manfully to keep this limp, occasionally lame comedy afloat, but he's quickly defeated by unsure Leonard Nimoy direction, shabby editing and writing. A professional cartoonist falls for an attractive female chef (she can't be much of a chef since his first impression of her food is disgust); after meeting cute, they decide to marry, but frustration soon arrives over their failure to conceive a child. Christine Lahti has a warm, ticklish presence, but her character here is so underwritten we're not sure how we're supposed to feel about her; Mary Stuart Masterson is much better as a fraternity sex-bunny, but she belongs in a different movie (with a different partner) altogether. Based on a magazine article by Bob Greene, the picture is full of comic ideas that don't play and dramatic interludes which wilt without the proper handling. *1/2 from ****

Dreadful, but there's a reason

[semi-buff · 11 July 2003]

This is the film Wilder made right after the death of his beloved soulmate, Gilda Radner. I suppose he felt that getting back to work might ease the pain. A big mistake, but forgivable under the circumstances. He IS very talented, so be sure to see some of his other work, such as "Young Frankenstein," "Frisco Kid," "Blazing Saddles," and "Silver Streak."

I'm a Leonard Nimoy fan...

[dwwashburn · 7/10 · 12 March 2006]

and I used to live on the Upper West Side of NY and work in Brooklyn. Each workday I would take the subway from Central Park West to Brooklyn. On the morning of March 26, 1989, I happened to see a film crew working in the park as I approached the train station. I asked a crew man, "What project are you working on?" He answered, "New York Times"--which was the working title for the movie. The newspaper would not give the studio permission to use that title so it was changed. I knew about the working title from Trekzine. I asked the man to please wish Mr. Nimoy a happy birthday! I've always wondered if he did . . . and if Mr. Nimoy wondered how a passerby knew (a) that it happened to be his birthday and (b) that he was the director of the movie in production! Since Mr. Wilder plays a cartoonist in the film I suggested the title "See You in the Funny Pages" but, of course, it wasn't used. I've seen the movie and tried to spot a scene filmed at Central Park but I didn't see it.

The late, great Wilder . . .

[signlady · 3/10 · 25 July 2022]

Such a sweet, funny guy.

Just picked this DVD up the other day . . . Never heard of this movie before . . .

I thought it had just a few good, howbeit short moments - sadly, overall it was impotent & barren -

And rather ironically, this illogical movie was directed by an actor-guy whose beloved character's whole role was to be known for his extreme logic . . .?

Shows ya what a good actor he was . . .

I'm trying to console myself logically that I only paid 2 bux for this at Dollar General . . .even tho I know, very often those discs in cardboard sleeves are duds - I suppose it was worth that $2 to see Wilder . . . But sad that one of his movies was destined for a DG cardboard sleeve . . .

Note: this movie MIGHT be worth seein' one time only - hard to say who will pay $2 AND willingly sit thru - betting, assuming, hoping it will get better . . .

But the low reviews I read are not wrong. So it's def not a keeper.

Keep drinking the coffee....

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 16 March 2014]

When Duffy Bergman meets Meg Lloyd, he discovers the love of his life and they marry, but love alone isn't enough to make them happy.

Meg decides she wants to have a baby, initially making Duffy frantic, but soon becomes his most important desire as well. When they are unable to have a baby, Meg begins concentrating on her career and the two eventually separate.

Later, Duffy is speaking at a convention of the Delta Gamma sorority, he meets a young Delta Gamma girl, Daphne.

When she moves to New York to work as a network sports reporter, their mutual attraction and Daphne's spontaneity spark an adventurous new relationship.

Now Duffy must decide which is more valuable to him, the relationship he has given up, or the relationship he has always dreamt of having...

It's an unmitigated disaster, but Wilder is always watchable and there are flashes of geniuses in his withered,pained face.

Nimoy is perfunctory at making family movies, but this has been edited within an inch of its life, and it really shows when Masterson is introduced. It's another one of those movies where Wilder gets the beautiful woman, which is a bit hard to swallow, but it's an easy, if predictable watch.

It's just very incoherent at times.

One of my Favorites!

[Terrycmad · 10/10 · 6 October 2016]

One of my favorite Gene Wilder films. This is a funny, but not side-splitting funny film,and you could say it is more sweet humor that can also be endearing. The supporting cast, especially Christine Lahti and Anne Jackson are terrific! Gene Wilder is so lovable in this movie that it will make you forget some of his sillier films.In this he plays Duffy Berman a well-known cartoonist who yearns to have a child before his 'biological clock' stops ticking.So when things don't go as he planned,his life is turned upside down with some very funny and tender moments. Give it a try if you haven't already seen it,you may be pleasantly surprised.

Good; but not Very Good

[lysander1776 · 5/10 · 7 September 2016]

While certainly not one of anyone's favorite comedies, there is an amount of sweetness to this film. Gene Wilder is an "edgy" cartoon strip writer - though as the viewer you're rolling your eyes as a conservative or a liberal - that becomes very desirous of having a baby with his new wife, Christine Lahti. When things don't biologically work out, they break up and Wilder finds himself in a relationship with Mary Stuart Masterson. Eventually, that doesn't work out either and Wilder realizes that Lahti means more to him as a wife than what a baby can bring to their relationship. End of story. The cons are evident in the film - simplistic story, no real depth of any character, no "laugh out loud" scene, no dewy-eyed scene. The script is mundane, the humor is flat. The best you'll get is a smile. The pros are few, but speak volumes to the main three actors. Firstly, Wilder is pitch perfect as usual - completely at ease in his character. Lahti gives a fine performance, elegant and sweet. Masterson - such a beautiful and amazingly talented actress - is wonderful in her strong-willed yet completely vulnerable character. Finally, Nimoy must be given credit for the pacing of the movie by keeping the scenes quick and fun. While the movie is long on relationships, it is short on character and development thereof. The easy-come-easy-go of the Wilder/Lahti, Wilder/Masterson relationships simply demand the viewer to not only accept but understand. While the viewer can certainly understand the situations, the viewer never sees the nuts and bolts that drive them. For me, this was the most frustrating part of the film. Overall, not great, but not bad, either - light and airy.

A waste of time

[DPerson626 · 11 July 2003]

This movie should not have been made. It is the only thing that I have seen Christine Lahti in that failed to entertain me. All I kept thinking of while viewing it was that it would eventually get to the good part. Mary Stuart Masterson was cute and Lahti was her usual beautiful self but nothing could save this disaster. I will give it 2/10 for effort.

I don't liked this film

[salamander-4 · 3/10 · 1 July 2005]

I am big fan of Gene Wilder and i try to collect all his films.This movie was disappointment to me.It is a movie where actors live in their own world and i feel like they forgotten people who watching the film.They live there with their problems and they don't have time to think is it a interesting to watch.At the beginning of the movie it made to easy when Gene and Cristine met.Gene saying that coffee is good but he don't look like his fooling in love deeply.It all is to easy.Always is interesting when something happens what you don't expected put in this movie there is no surprises.His films usually contain more action,running and some riddles.In this film he is most of the time in his home and dialogs with his wife are not interesting.In Silver Streak you can feel the love between him and girl but not in this movie.It is only my opinion about this movie and i hope that Gene never read this.

Patrick Ewings finest performance.

[frankjames · 1/10 · 21 August 2001]

This movie is TERRIBLE. I like Gene Wilder but I have no idea what was going through his head when he decided to do this flick. The only mildly funny moment is when he describes how his mother was killed. He says she was crushed by a piano falling out of a building ala Wile Coyote. One of the worst movies i ever paid to see.

Probably the worst movie ever made

[mxet · 1/10 · 6 June 2011]

This is the worst movie I have ever seen and it's a real tragedy that it was ever allowed to be released. If only someone could go back in time and prevent it from being filmed.

The story is very boring and every single scene just feels disturbing and unrealistic.

Mary Stuart Mastersson is one of the best actresses of all time and it's a real pain to see her be disgraced in this film. Her character Daphne falls in love with Duffy, a very disturbed elderly man played by Gene Wilder.

Don't ever see this film, and don't see any other films with Gene Wilder either. Instead I can recommend "Some kind of Wonderful" with Mastersson and Eric Stoltz.

It's Comedy Jim But not as we know it

[yorkshire_keith · 1/10 · 20 January 2007]

Jesus H Tapdancing Christ! this... is... a... stinker!!

Every second of turgid dialogue tells you you've come to the wrong place today and you need to get out!

It would be illegal to show this film in a prison. Maybe Guantanemo bay should threaten inmates with it to extract information about future atrocities. But then we'd have sunken to their level.

I couldn't sit through it all, I'm forced to confess with about 30 minutes to go I was out of there running for the pub and a stiff drink so I definitely Don't recommend you see this if you're trying to give up smoking, drinking or amphetamines...Well...just don't see it.

Gene what were you thinking? Leonard. The comedy touch of a true vulcan.

no no no It's a 2 thirds of a film that will live in infamy burned into the section of my memory reserved for live electric cables and picking up glowing bits of metal. DON'T GO THERE!

Nothing Funny About It.

[Ddey65 · 3/10 · 23 March 1999]

I couldn't see anything funny about this film, although I DID like the sex scenes between Gene Wilder & Mary Stuart Masterson. Why can't I find a girlfriend like her?

Witty addition to Wilder's collection

[notail99 · 8/10 · 10 February 2002]

Okay, so it might not be Sherlock Holmes's Smarter Brother, but this film has tons of charm (Lahti is fantastic, as is Wilder), some strange little twists, and reassuring laughs.

Watch it on a Sunday;-)

i loved this movie!

[haenze · 10/10 · 15 April 2008]

why does everyone hate it? this movie is funny, heartwarming, romantic and witty. Someone earlier said that Gene Wilder and Christine Lahti had no chemistry, but i have to disagree on that subject. they have great chemistry. this movie is a slice of life comedy, not a goof ball one like "blazing saddles or " Young Frakenstein". Yeah, maybe it isn't perfect, but it is good, I might go as far as call it great. this movie deserves to be more popular. i loved it. 4/4 stars, two thumbs up! everyone else here doesn't know a good movie when they see one. this movie was awesome, i just think you guys are just sticks-in the mud. so go ahead and watch your stupid movies while i sit back and enjoy "funny about love"

One of my favourites!

[adelaparpala · 10/10 · 9 May 2018]

I have watched this movie few times by now...such a sweet rendition of how real love feels...it's about real emotions, real feelings...and funny on top of it all! I love watching it cause it makes me laugh and cry at the same time! The way Gene Wilder expresses love and heartache is just overwhelming! It is truly a movie about life and the sweetest thing about it...with a twist of humour...which is most definitely the way we should all treat life! LOVE THIS MOVIE!

Please someone! Burn the master of this film!

[tamtam2000 · 25 August 1999]

I have never before seen a worse movie. It is absolutely horrible. There was nothing redeeming about it - poor acting, poor directing, poor editing, crummy dialogue... need I go on? This is at the TOP of my list of "worst movies of all time." I'm surprised that MST3K didn't find a way to improve it!

I loved this film!

[indialm · 10/10 · 8 April 2022]

I don't get all the negative reviews BUT I do like quirky movies that are unusual. Gene Wilder plays a comic strip writer who falls for a chef and this is their struggle getting pregnant. It becomes such an issue that it ends the marriage and he finds love with another woman. That is definitely unusual in a film. But it doesn't end there!

"Funny" as in "strange"

[Wizard-8 · 11 November 2011]

Several years after directing "Funny About Love", director Leonard Nimoy admitted that making this movie was a mistake, and put the blame on the script. To a degree, Nimoy was correct. The writing found in this movie is truly bizarre at times. Throughout, characters spout out deranged dialogue that no human being with a reasonable amount of intelligence would say. Also, big chunks of time seem to be missing. For example, when Wilder's character and his wife have their first argument, in the next scene she is packing her bags and planning divorce - huh? I don't know if that's how it was written, or if the editing removed some scenes, but the movie is missing important information.

While most of the blame is with the script (and possibly with the editing), Nimoy has to share some blame for the performances of his actors. More often than not, Nimoy has his cast acting in a very broad manner that makes the deranged dialogue they speak even worse-sounding.

As I indicated in the summary line, this movie is more strange than funny.

No laughs for Gene

[lor_ · 30 May 2023]

My review was written in September 1990 after watching the movie at a Columbus Circle screening room.

"Funny About Love" is a not-so-funny Gene Wilder vehicle. Sappy combination of smiles and sentimentality marks an off-day for the talented comic.

Tale of the biological clock regarding procreation is told from a male point of view here, with director Leonard Nimoy doing a good job of making palatable the more vulgar aspects of the script. However, Wilder's problems as a would-be daddy aren't interesting or compelling.

Cast as a sort of Garry Trudeau political cartoonist, Wilder bumps into Christine Lahti in a "meet cute" situation. She's working for the caterer at a book signing event, and Wilder complains about her cappuccino preparation. In a well-paced and well-edited opening reel, the divorcees strike up a romance and get married.

Inability to conceive bogs the film down in almost clinical detail. Funniest bit has Wilder sticking ice cubes in his jockey shorts on doctor's advice to get his sperm temperature down.

Film takes an absurd turn in the third reel when Wilder's child bride of a mother, Anne Jackson, is killed by a failing stove (meant to be black humor). Pic hardly recovers from this failed bit of whimsy.

While the viewer may be thinking of Irene Dunne and Cary Grant in a similar baby-less situation in the classic "Penny Serenade", the duo breaks up so that Lahti can fulfill herself in a career as restaurateur.

Co-star Mary Stuart Masterson doesn't enter the scene until a full hour has elapsed, and one is likely to wonder if she's going to reprise her baby maker role from "Immediate Family" with Lahti in the Glenn Close slo. Instead, Mastersoln is a modern young woman whose lingo pushes the limits of the film's PG-13 rating.

Wilder meets her at a convention of beautiful sorority girls where he's guest speaker. Another whirlwind romance ensues, and Masterson is pregnant. Silly touch has no less than basketball star Patrick Ewing cameoing to announce the impending blessed event to Wilder in the Knicks' locker room.

Masterson's miscarriage and breakup with Wilder are poorly scripted en route to the predictable reconciliation with Lahti . Like "Penny Serenade", the story resolution is in adoption, but the finale is padded and tedious.

Wilder has his moments in a role that overdoes the crying jags and self-pity. Both Lahti and Masterson remain most appealing actresses in search of challenging roles, not provided here. Jacksoln and Robert Prosky are wasted as Wilder's unlikely parents, while Susan Ruttan overdoes the ditzy routine as Prosky's next wife.

Miles Goodman's jaunty musical score and Fred Murphy's loverly views of the Big Apple make this pill easy to swallow, but it's not Mr. Spock's (or even Dr. Spock's) finest hour.