Amazon.com Essential Video
Devotees of Neil Simon's repartee, such as in his
Goodbye Girl and
Brighton Beach Memoirs, will enjoy this earlier tale of domestic dispute between newlyweds. Corie (Jane Fonda) is the young housewife trying to keep life exciting while making a home for her and her husband, Paul (Robert Redford), on the fifth floor of a Greenwich Village walkup apartment. He's working hard at starting his career as lawyer; she's eager to be romantic and spontaneous; and the two have plenty to squabble about. The film suffers a bit from Corie's excessive perkiness and the odd lack of chemistry between the two actors. But those who find the dramatic conventions a bit stiff (some of the dialogue and action seems more suited for stage than screen) may still smile at the dated look (circa 1967) at home life. Mildred Natwick is superb as Corie's mother, and Charles Boyer milks his role as the elderly bohemian neighbor upstairs.
--Jenny Brown
Review
The combined star power of leads Robert Redford and Jane Fonda elevate Barefoot in the Park above the level of standard Neil Simon fare. The matinee idols convincingly portray a young couple in their first few weeks of marriage: Fonda is well-suited to the part of the nubile free spirit, and Redford is amiably uptight as her lawyer husband. True to form, Simon populates the newlyweds' world with meddling parents, nutty neighbors, and the obligatory swipe at marital instability. Precious little happens in the G-rated feature; the threat of a sour ending is somewhat miniscule when the plot's most pressing conflict is sex kitten Fonda's fear that her husband doesn't love her anymore because he doesn't want to copulate all day. But director Gene Saks treats the material for what it is: a sunny vehicle for two engaging personalities. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
