Review of The Heartbreak Kid (1972) by Eric A — 27 Sep 2010

An impulsive schemer (Charles Grodin) falls for a bored coed (Cybill Shepherd) on his honeymoon, prompting a rash of bad decisions and embarrassing situations. The original "Heartbreak Kid" (as opposed to the Ben-Stiller-yelling-at-mariachis "Heartbreak Kid") is much more than its logline suggests.

The bemused Shepherd and the slippery Grodin embody two different types of cads - those that are never impressed and those that are never satisfied, respectively. Director Elaine May ultimately trains her eye the consequences for Grodin's sense of fulfillment (or lack thereof) but the film does an equally superb job of pointing out - pointedly, painfully, and hysterically - the damage that's been done to all those around the couple, including Grodin's jilted wife (Berlin) and Shepherd's parents (Lindley, Albert).