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The Heartbreak Kid

  • 1972
  • PG
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
6.2K
YOUR RATING
The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer2:16
1 Video
90 Photos
Romantic ComedySatireComedyDramaRomance

A newlywed man on his honeymoon has second thoughts about his marriage and falls for a different woman.A newlywed man on his honeymoon has second thoughts about his marriage and falls for a different woman.A newlywed man on his honeymoon has second thoughts about his marriage and falls for a different woman.

  • Director
    • Elaine May
  • Writers
    • Bruce Jay Friedman
    • Neil Simon
  • Stars
    • Charles Grodin
    • Cybill Shepherd
    • Jeannie Berlin
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    6.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Elaine May
    • Writers
      • Bruce Jay Friedman
      • Neil Simon
    • Stars
      • Charles Grodin
      • Cybill Shepherd
      • Jeannie Berlin
    • 64User reviews
    • 35Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:16
    Official Trailer

    Photos90

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    Top cast20

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    Charles Grodin
    Charles Grodin
    • Lenny Cantrow
    Cybill Shepherd
    Cybill Shepherd
    • Kelly Corcoran
    Jeannie Berlin
    Jeannie Berlin
    • Lila Kolodny
    Audra Lindley
    Audra Lindley
    • Mrs. Corcoran
    Eddie Albert
    Eddie Albert
    • Mr. Corcoran
    Mitchell Jason
    • Cousin Ralph
    William Prince
    William Prince
    • Colorado Man
    Augusta Dabney
    Augusta Dabney
    • Colorado Woman
    Doris Roberts
    Doris Roberts
    • Mrs. Cantrow
    Marilyn Putnam
    • Mrs. Kolodny
    Jack Hausman
    • Mr. Kolodny
    Erik Lee Preminger
    • Pecan Pie Waiter
    Art Metrano
    Art Metrano
    • Entertainer
    Tim Browne
    • Kelly's Boyfriend
    Jean Scoppa
    • Flower Girl
    Gregory Scherick
    • Young Boy
    • (as Greg Scherick)
    Marianne Muellerleile
    Marianne Muellerleile
    • Co-Ed
    • (uncredited)
    Neil Simon
    Neil Simon
    • Wedding Guest
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Elaine May
    • Writers
      • Bruce Jay Friedman
      • Neil Simon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews64

    7.06.2K
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    Featured reviews

    sleazydinosaur

    Hilarious

    I only saw this movie a couple of years ago. I always avoided it at the video store because of the name, I assumed it must be about a little kid, something like The Champ or Lucas, nothing wrong with those kinds of movies, just not my cup of tea. But I happened to read about it in one of Leonard Maltins books, he called it one of the best comedies of the 70s, and very dark for it's time. So I rented it and loved it. I think it's pretty dark even by todays standards, Charles Grodins character is likeable in an odd way, but he's also two faced and deceitful, not to mention downright cruel to his new bride. I don't know of many actors that could have played this better than Charles Grodin, this was certainly his best role. In his biography he wrote that he recognizes the brilliance of the film, but he hated playing such a cruel character. The thing is, the character never intends to be cruel, he just can't seem to help it, lying and selfishness are just second nature to him. If your like me, you'll find yourself laughing and cringing at the same time. The ending is just perfection, he has seemingly attained what he wanted, the thing that he has lied and cheated and hurt other people to get, yet he seems to already be tired of it and longing for what he already had. At least that's my take on it, it's open to interpretation. This movie may not be for everybody, but if you like dark comedies, you should check it out.
    8jazmaan

    The Slow Burn

    This movie recently became available on Netflix! It's even on their Instant Queue so you can watch it on demand.

    It's very different than the Ben Stiller remake (which I also enjoyed.) But in this movie Lenny is not at all a sympathetic character while his wife certainly is. There are some really intense scenes in this movie. Sometimes uncomfortably so. I guess this was one of the first "Dramedy" movies before that term was even invented.

    Anyway, there is one classic scene in this film that's absolutely worth the price of admission. Eddie Albert earns his Oscar nomination without saying a single word, doing the Slow Burn to end all Slow Burns, while Lenny "lays his cards on the table".
    7kenjha

    Entertaining

    While on honeymoon with his nice Jewish bride, an indecisive young man meets the woman of his dreams. May elicits good performances and keeps it entertaining but the script is not one of Simon's best. Grodin is terrific as the schmuck who sees an opportunity to go for the gold in the form of WASP beauty Shepherd. Berlin (daughter of May) steals the film as the jilted wife, a loving if not lovely woman that one wants to give a reassuring hug to. The scene where Grodin dumps her is indeed heartbreaking. Albert is funny as Shepherd's stern father, who eventually tries to buy off Grodin. This film has parallels to "The Graduate," although it is nowhere as good as that classic.
    ZAKK_WILD

    Great movie - Very funny

    I looked for this movie after it was recommended in the documentary Pitch(also worth seeing). The Heartbreak Kid(stupid title) features some excellent acting and courtesy of Neil Simon a brilliant script. It's a pretty funny plot if you like black comedy. A guy 3 days into his honeymoon meets the girl of his dreams. The guy is played by Charles Grodin and the girl is played by Cybil Sheppard who looks absolutely stunning. The main comedy in the movie comes from Grodin's absurd lies or brutal honesty. The first half probably has the best humor but I thought the ending was interesting. Finally I became a big Eddie Albert fan after seeing this movie. He's great as Cybil Sheppard's Dad.
    6moonspinner55

    WASPs vs. Yentas

    Charles Grodin plays a Jewish New Yorker who takes his earthy new bride to Miami for their honeymoon, but becomes increasingly disillusioned with her on the trip--most especially because of a flirty, leggy blonde from Minnesota whom he meets on the beach. With Neil Simon writing this screenplay, one is almost instantly aware not of the class issue (it doesn't matter to Simon who has more money than who) but of the Jewish angle. Simon makes the bride gross and vulgar, and Jeannie Berlin has been encouraged to play these non-attributes to the hilt, while Cybill Shepherd's Protestant sex-goddess is the epitome of sarcastic poise. Simon wins points against the new wife by playing up her Jewishness in all its stereotypical brashness; it's as if the volume is up too loud. "The Heartbreak Kid" has many things going for it--the excellent performances and some very humorous asides to name two--but the intentional lewdness behind Grodin's marital predicament, and the queasy way he ingratiates himself into Shepherd's family, isn't so much hilarious as it is cringe-inducing. Shepherd's no-nonsense father, wonderfully played in an I've-seen-everything-now way by Eddie Albert, reacts accordingly to Grodin's new proposals with anger and confusion, and in these instances the film touches on something much deeper than the modern Jewish man's internal struggle. Unfortunately, this is mainly what Simon has on his plate, and it wears the audience down--and seems very dated now, anyway. Elaine May's direction is fashionably ragged and somewhat detached, and her ending is thoughtful (if, in retrospect, uneventful). The story certainly needed a modern tweaking, as this version is just a little bit undernourished (more mean-spirited than funny), however a 2007 remake fared even worse. **1/2 from ****

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In his 1989 autobiography "It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here...", Charles Grodin recounts that Neil Simon repeatedly asked for actress Jeannie Berlin to be replaced because he did not find her pretty enough, not realizing that Berlin was the daughter of director Elaine May.
    • Goofs
      When he parks his car at the beginning of the movie, the parking ticket mysteriously appears on his windshield immediately after he gets out.
    • Quotes

      Lenny Cantrow: This is honest food. There is no lying in that beef. There's no insincerity in those potatoes. There's no deceit in the cauliflower. This is a totally honest meal.

    • Connections
      Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      The Theme from the Heartbreak Kid
      Written by Cy Coleman (music) and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics)

      Performed by Bill Dean (uncredited)

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 22, 1972 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Neil Simon's The Heartbreak Kid
    • Filming locations
      • University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    • Production company
      • Palomar Pictures International
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross US & Canada
      • $12,208,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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