Review of Same Time, Next Year (1978) by Charles B — 12 Jun 2013

A man and a woman meet every year to carry on a multi-decade affair.

Two-handers, plays or films with only two characters, require two excellent actors who can carry the film. Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn are two such actors, but this film needs more than their strong work. What makes the film ultimately fail is the inconsistency of the characters. Even though Alda does well in this scene, it's difficult to imagine the man we've been getting to know for the last hour turning into a callous conservative prick. The same is true for the scene in which Doris comes in decked in full hippie gear. Also, George's neuroticism occasionally gets annoying, a fault of the script giving him ridiculous lines that -- once again -- aren't consistent with the rest of the character.

Overall, Burstyn and Alda do their best, but crazy glue couldn't hold this film together.