1977's LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR may not be a horror film but it certainly left me with a feeling that most horror films neglect to convey and that feeling is actual horror. I used to think maybe I was just ill prepared and taken off guard when I first viewed it many eons ago but a recent revisit convinced me that knowledge of its eventual destination not only fails to dilute the impact but actually adds to the sense of dread. It's got a very seventies, borderline stalling pace but I have a feeling that spending so much down time with DIANE KEATON's wonderfully flawed character as she takes one step forward and two steps back in her journey toward self-discovery/destruction is what makes the film's final chime echo so loudly.
In any case, I feel it is my duty to inform all of those interested that for what I'm sure will be a very limited time, you can catch RICHARD (IN COLD BLOOD) BROOKS' LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR on YouTube. If you have even the slightest interest in checking it out this may be your last chance. It's not available on DVD and due to, I'm guessing, music rights issues, it may never be and even if you shell out some big bucks for a VHS tape, it will look like crap. Yes! Check it out; this not long for this world, YouTube version is all crispy clean and letterboxed! So perfect for ruining your day! You're welcome!
Holy [expletive], that is Star 80 level trauma right there. Thanks for sharing…I think.
Thank you SO much for the heads up on this one!! When I was a kid in the 80's, I caught about the last 45 minutes of this movie in what was, I'm sure, a heavily edited version on television…even in that form, the last 10 minutes were indelible! (at my age and from what I saw, I was able to glean that **SPOILER ALERT** Diane Keaton was a dedicated teacher for deaf children who came to a very bad end! **END SPOILER**) I was thrilled to be able to see everything that led up to the finale! I felt the characters were extremely well-written…especially being older now and seeing so many of the characters' traits either in myself or in people I've known over the years. All of the Roman Catholicism brought back memories too! In a weird way, I don't think I've seen another movie that so well symbolized the finale to "the love generation" since "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (anyone else catch the pic of Leatherface at around the 5:56 mark?)…Anywhoo, thanx for letting me gush about this flick! It'll stick with me for awhile…off the top of my head, two other movies that gave me the same type of queasy/sick feeling (in the way that only an awesome movie can) were "Martyrs" (although obviously "Goodbar" was nowhere near as harrowing throughout) and "The Day of the Locust" (also starring William Atherton…Thank you for letting me blather! 🙂
m@ggot,
I believe my first viewing was on TV as well. In fact I almost wrote this post up as a traumafession. At some point in my twenties I even tracked down the book. It really fascinates me. I’m a big fan of MARTYRS and LOCUST too. I also get a tragic REQUIEM FOR A DREAM vibe here. There’s something so horrible about how Keaton’s character fights against her insecurities and learns to stand up for herself only to be erased as payment and all of the stuff about her childhood illness really haunts me. Thank you for verifying the appearance of Leatherface!! I was wondering if I had imagined that or was just seeing things. It’s really interesting to compare the two films. That would be a pretty amazing double feature.
holy cow this is awesome! this is one of my all time fave movies! thanks so much for pointing it out UL!!!
Check out Fingers with Harvey Keitel if you like seventies downers like this. What is it about this era that produced so many bummer films like these? I kind of love it.