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Same Time, Next Year

Same Time, Next Year

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tender and touching
Review: "Same time,next year" is a very good movie with outstanding performances and a solid script. It tells about the story of an adultereous couple, George & Doris,who have a reunion every year at the same day and the same place, a lovely hotel in California,and everytime we discover a new part of their characters and their own lives. The picture has been represented by six meetings over 26 years. The first one shows us their first meeting in 1951:they both hit by passion at first sight; the second portrayed is in 1956: while they're celebrateing their 5th anniversary they must face their first quarrel;then we move into 1961 when George helps Doris to give birth to her baby;in 1966 Doris has changed her life-style attending the university and becoming an hippie woman while George is getting more and more serious...;in 1972 things change again with Doris as an incredible business woman and finally in 1977 the couple must face for the very first time the meaning of being in love with each other.Among the several meetings there are touching clips representing the symbols of those years.Alan Alda is excellent but Ellen Burstyn takes the cake with a stunning performance.This is a picture who deals topics like regret, love, passion and nostalgia of lost time with sensitivity and good taste.Nominated for 4 Academy Awards:Actress(Burstyn),Adapted script,Cinematography and Original song.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb Film.....
Review: ...as is the chemistry between leads Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn who make an extremly convincing couple in this film which is sympathetically inclined to some cases of adultery.

Two guests at a travel inn, the nuerotic and somewhat manic George and the clever, clear-headed Doris, both married and parents, meet and fall instantly in love. After that night, they end up spending the whole week-end together and eventually decide to meet up there every year.

Although their relationship is not conducted in the ideal situation, they are certainly likeable and interesting as both individuals and a couple and that's thanks to good writing, acting and direction.

As they grow over the years and tackle the unpredictability of life head-on the film progresses at a nice, even pace and is an utter joy to watch. Even the cliche scene where Doris is pregnant can be forgiven.

Having started as a stage play I only became acquainted with this flick via the television but I have seen the sequal performed at the theatre and that is a joy as well. And, just in case you were wondering, the write of this play says he writes from imagination. I believe him, thousands wouldn't......

Very good indeed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sensational
Review: ...It seems that you have always looked into my heart...

...and I have always loved what i have seen...

The most immortal words spoken in American cinema!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Thanks for the memories
Review: 40+ years ago in college, I met a young man and we clicked instantly as friends and confidants. Both of us went on to marry other people but continued our unusual relationship(platonic) over all the years. Two years ago, we came together finally in a different way and have managed to see each other every month or so. It is heartbreaking and wonderful all at the same time. Both of us cannot (will not)leave what we have. I think Ellen Burystn says it best in the film "There is respect, love, and a sense of continuity..." It is possible to love 2 different people deeply, caringly and wholeheartedly at the same time. Strange but true. I watch this film and see my life and I laugh, cry and get a sense of contentment at the ending. These two actors make this film so real and so genuine in their emotions that you almost think that they are living it themselves.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Touching, sentimental, fun - what you wish all love could be
Review: A wonderful story of how love changes yet still continues to grow. Two unlikely people meet and begin a friendship and love affair that stands the test of time. Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda seem made for their roles. They love and share through the best of times and the worst of times - you will laugh out loud and cry - and wish for a friend and lover as true to you as they were to each other. I recommend it highly. Enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Heartbreaking
Review: After I watched this film, I felt like someone had ripped my heart out, stomped on it and then put it back.

The acting is excellent, especially on the part of Ellen Burstyn, who is always just fabulous in everything she does. She and Alan Alda managed to make even the silly lines seem natural and appropriate. After playing the character on stage, Ms. Burstyn obviously embodied Doris by the time she made the film.

While I found both George and Doris irritating at first, they grew on me, and by the time it was over, I found myself liking and even respecting them. I don't think adultery is ever acceptable, but somehow they made you forget what they were doing was wrong because of their chemistry and bond.

I saw Same Time, Next Year for the first time this year and it does seem a little dated in some ways. However, I believe that the core message is basically timeless. Both actors do a great job of conveying the personal and physical changes that the characters were supposed to be undergoing over the course of 26 years. I think I read somewhere that Ellen Burstyn only has one adopted child, but she was completely natural in the part where Doris was pregnant. You would have thought SHE really was pregnant at the time.

Overall, though, I don't think I could put myself through the emotional distress of watching this film very often. Yes, it is sweet, touching and even funny at times. But, I also found it gut-wrenching. The whole concept that two people who are soul-mates could find one another by chance in the great big world but can't really be together is one of the saddest things I can conceive.

Perhaps what made the love Doris and George had for each other so special WAS the fact that they spent only one weekend a year together. What they had never became mundane or tired because of how little time they had together. It makes you wonder if they would have made it as a couple on a day-to day basis. If you really love someone as much as they seemed to love each other, 2 days a year together is simply not enough. You want to share everything with them.

While I admire their devotion to their families, these two characters just broke my heart. I probably don't appreciate film for film's sake enough, but I've accepted that I like traditional happy endings. This one was a little too bittersweet for me. I bawled like I had lost a loved one when it was over. In fact, if I want to cry on cue, all I have to do is think about Same Time, Next Year.

It would be interesting to see someone make a film of the sequel. I think both Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn (especially Burstyn, who is even more stunning now at nearly 70) could believably play George and Doris again from the ages of early 50s to late 60s. I'll probably just have to picture that one in my mind's eye.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderfully Romantic
Review: Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn star as married (to other people) folks who meet once a year at the same cottage for an affair. The film spans many years during which each person faces life-altering challenges and joys. The couple share these and become even closer because of them. Alda and Burstyn are delightful together. The script is funny, bittersweet, and lovely.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Funny, touching, with solid performances
Review: Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn star as two people each married to other people who have an affair with each other on one weekend for 26 years. (Is there any other way to describe that ?) Both stars are very good, and have great chemistry, although Alda's constant whining can grate on some nerves. As their affair continues, the years pass, and other events in their lives affect each of them more and more, their own relationship exhibits its own changes. A very smart, sweet and touching film, adapted from Bernard Slade's play. Listen for the haunting piano theme that is performed through the film; it will definitely stick with you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Touching and wonderful - real to life.
Review: As with "Bridges" I relate to this movie because it rings true to me.

As someone that has found true love outside a good marriage, and dealt with the issues which result, I relate to the subject matter.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: PLEASE release this in DVD!!
Review: Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda are absolutely on target with their performances -- they capture the changes in all of us during this time period superbly.

This has been one of my very favorite movies for a number of years. I don't want to replace my well-worn VHS with another VHS! PLEASE, PLEASE release it on DVD!! The wonderful Mendocino coast scenery would be spectacular.


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