Same Time, Next Year (film)
| Same Time, Next Year | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Mulligan |
| Screenplay by | Bernard Slade |
| Based on | Same Time, Next Year by Bernard Slade |
| Produced by | Walter Mirisch Morton Gottlieb |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robert Surtees |
| Edited by | Sheldon Kahn |
| Music by | Marvin Hamlisch |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $19.7 million[1] |
Same Time, Next Year is a 1978 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Robert Mulligan.[2] The screenplay by Bernard Slade is based on his 1975 play of the same title. The film stars Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn (the latter reprising her Broadway role).[3]
Plot
In 1951, at an inn on the
The film jumps forward five years at a time, episodically chronicling their time together, the changes each goes through, their respective marriages, and their deepening connection. In 1966, for example, George, now middle-aged and dressed in a suit, is shocked when Doris arrives in denim and wearing her hair to her waist, having enrolled in
At their meeting in 1977, George tells Doris that his wife, Helen, died unexpectedly earlier in the year, and that Helen revealed to a friend that she had known of the affair for ten years, but never told George she knew. Now a widower, George proposes to Doris, who refuses to accept because of her loyalty to, and respect for, her husband. Dejected, George leaves, but quickly returns, and they promise to continue the affair as long as they are able.
Production
The film is structured as six episodes, each occurring approximately five years apart.
Exteriors for the film were shot at the Heritage House Inn, a well-known resort and bed & breakfast in
Theme song
Critical reception
While Bernard Slade's acclaimed stage play earned a storm of praise, the film received mixed reviews. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Slade's screenplay isn't often funny, and it's full of momentous events that can't be laughed away... As directed by Robert Mulligan... Same Time, Next Year is both less and more than it could have been. By moving the action outdoors once in a while, or into the inn's restaurant, Mr. Mulligan loses the element of claustrophobia that might have taken an audience's mind off the screenplay's troubles. But he substitutes the serenity of a California coastal setting, and gives the film a visual glamour that is mercifully distracting. Mr. Mulligan seems to have been more interested in sprucing up the material than in preserving its absolute integrity, and under the circumstances, his approach makes sense... Mr. Alda isn't terribly playful, and he reads every line as if it were part of a joke, which only accentuates the flatness of the script. Miss Burstyn, on the other hand... brings so much sweetness to Doris's various incarnations that the character very nearly comes to life."[9] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an aggregate score of 40% based on 2 positive and 3 negative critic reviews.[10]
Variety called the film "a textbook example of how to successfully transport a stage play to the big screen" and added, "The production of Bernard Slade's play, sensitively directed by Robert Mulligan, is everything you'd want from this kind of film. And it features two first class performances by Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda."[11]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Ellen Burstyn | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium | Bernard Slade | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Robert Surtees | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Song | "The Last Time I Felt Like This" Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman |
Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Alan Alda | Nominated | [13] |
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Ellen Burstyn | Won[a] | ||
| Best Original Song – Motion Picture | "The Last Time I Felt Like This" Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman |
Nominated | ||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Comedy – Adapted from Another Medium | Bernard Slade | Nominated | [14] |
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – nominated[15]
See also
- Avanti! - 1972 comedy film by Billy Wilder with the similar idea of married lovers meeting secretly once a year in an hotel in Italy, and later their children.
- One Day - Film with similar plot form, two characters meeting over the course of many years.
Notes
- ^ Tied with Maggie Smith for California Suite.
References
- ^ "Same Time, Next Year". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- MUBI.
- ^ "Same Time, Next Year". TV Guide.
- ^ "Same Time, Next Year (1978)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films.
- ^ McCallum, Kevin (December 4, 2008). "Heritage House closing, up for auction". The Press Democrat. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008.
- ^ "The Heritage House Resort & Spa". The Heritage House Resort & Spa.
- ^ Anderson, Glenda (September 18, 2013). "Mendocino's Heritage House reopens". The Press Democrat. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ ""Last Dance" winning Best Original Song Oscar®". Oscars on YouTube. February 17, 2014.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (November 22, 1978). "Film: 'Same Time':Trysting Annually". The New York Times.
- ^ "Same Time, Next Year". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ^ "Same Time, Next Year". Variety.
- ^ "The 51st Academy Awards (1979) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- HFPA. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ "Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions Nominees" (PDF). American Film Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
