Barefoot in the Park

Movie Review: Barefoot in the Park

Year of Release: 1967
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Gene Saks
Cast: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Charles Boyer, Mildred Natwick

Plot outline: A free-thinking bride and her conservative groom have trouble adjusting to married life (IMDb).

Neil Simon wrote primarily for the stage, but his plays have been successfully adapted to film many times. Barefoot in the Park is a worthy member of a club that includes The Odd Couple and The Sunshine Boys, though not quite up to their marks. The movie takes a comic look at the early stages of marriage and how quickly young lovers can become disillusioned. The challenge of starting a life together brings them quickly back to reality and exposes the potential down side of their rather impulsive nuptials. A ramshackle apartment, wacky neighbours, pressures at work and a lonely mother-in-law only add to the stress of blending two rather different personalities and life philosophies into one happy couple. Barefoot in the Park is a gentler movie that takes an honest look at life after the wedding bliss fades away, less cynical, but not without a razor sharp wit in the dialogue. The stars, Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, neither known for comedies, turn in impeccably timed performances.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars