I, for one, Laughed

Right on the heels of my 35th wedding anniversary, it's time for the 25th anniversary of the first time I recommended the movie "They All Laughed" to less than thundering approval.

I don't care. I first saw this movie on HBO on a long-ago day off and loved it. I taped it and began passing out copies of it to friends like a member of the Gideon Society passes out Bibles, but to much less satisfaction.

If you click on the link above, you get to see Vincent Canby's original review of this Peter Bogdanovich masterpiece in the New York Times from 1981; he says things such as ''They All Laughed'' is an immodest disaster. It's aggressive in its ineptitude. It grates on the nerves like a 78 rpm record played at 33 rpm" and "(John Russo) is played by Ben Gazzara in the way of someone who labors under the misapprehension that he is loaded with charm, nothing less than a combination of Bogart, Grant and Gable. However, Mr. Gazzara can't even smile convincingly in the many close-ups Mr. Bogdanovich has given him, perhaps in lieu of a character to act."

Listen, Vince, I liked the movie and I remain steadfast in my belief that someday, cinemaphiles will come to my side on this matter, crying, "How could we have been so blind as to ignore the compelling acting of Ben Gazzara, Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn's son Sean Ferrer, Dorothy Stratton, John Ritter and Patti Hansen?"

Who will join me in this crusade? Must I wander lonely forever until I find someone who will sit with me and gaze in awe as Roy Acuff saws his way through the opening song, as Bogdanovich paints the screen with images enough to break a heart and heal a heart at once?

Peggy says the movie is dumb and I only like it because people run around making asses of themselves and every time I watch it, I get to point out that Patti Hansen is still married to Keith Richards
and he is alive, whereas Jim Fixx is not.

I have made a special arrangement with the folks at BlockBuster, Circuit City, Hollywood Video and NetFlix: if you buy this movie, this classic that speaks to a generation, no, speaks to all mankind, and you don't find yourself absolutely enchanted, well then, you just keep your DVD, and they will gladly keep your money. Now, I ask you, what could be more fair?