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A Knowing Comedy About Divorced Dads
San Francisco Chronicle - March 17, 1995
PETER STACK, Chronicle Staff Critic
Any of the 35 million or so American men who have
tried to be good dads after divorce will find that the
new film "Bye Bye, Love" hits the mark -- it is a
paean of comic affection to single parents trying to
get on with their lives. And it happens to be a
delightful movie for anyone else, too.
"Bye Bye, Love," starring Matthew Modine,
Randy Quaid and Paul Reiser and opening today at
Bay Area theaters, has the makings of a solid hit for
director Sam Weisman ("D2: The Mighty Ducks")
and writer-producer Brad Hall, who created the
acclaimed "Brooklyn Bridge" TV series.
The title, of course, is taken from the timeless song
by the Everly Brothers, whose tunes are featured prominently on the sound track, which also
includes -- it's kind of hip -- Dean Martin's "That's
Amore."
The movie is about three divorced fathers who do
what millions of their fellows do every weekend:
They run the kids around from soccer to T-ball,
from petting zoo to magicians' shows, from
fast-food joints to video stores. In the process, of
course, they sacrifice a lot of the personal space
they might otherwise have on weekends, particularly
the time to pursue such things as dating.
Although the film focuses on the dads, it doesn't
exclude what the moms put up with in their own
pursuit of happiness.
Only experts on this complicated subject could have
concocted this funny, heart-tugging film.
It is filled with an insider's knowledge of the
maneuvering and skirmishes -- and the good faces
people try to put on bad situations when kids are involved -- as the divorced try
to cling to the sense of family they once enjoyed. Or
thought they enjoyed.
Modine, who plays a guy named Dave, has three
little kids. But he is also trying to make time for a
girlfriend (Maria Pitillo) who his ex-wife, Susan
("NYPD Blue's" Amy Brenneman), notes with a
scowl is "a little too blond and a little too young."
Dave, it seems, has an insatiable appetite for
romance. But it's tough to play nooky when your
kids wake up at the wrong moment asking for that
last glass of water.
NUTS ABOUT EX-WIFE
Donny, a neurotic nerd played by Paul Reiser of
TV's "Mad About You," is nuts about his ex-wife
(Jayne Brook), but it's his 14-year- old daughter
(Eliza Dushku) with whom he should be keeping up
a relationship. Although Donny's not ready to date,
he is also not ready to accept that daughter Emma
has a sizable crush on a handsome young guy at
McDonald's.
Randy Quaid's Vic has problems coping, too. He
and his ex (Lindsay Crouse) are still angry at each
other. He is particularly upset about his former's
new boyfriend, a layabout in his 20s, whom Quaid
refers to as "the Unemployment Department's
poster boy." There is also an ongoing battle over
who should benefit from the affections of the family
dog.
It takes a bit of a stretch to buy into these three men
(who seem to have only divorces and kids in
common) as best buddies, but the premise sort of
works, especially since each man is able to deliver
the right touch of quirky comedy.
FUNNY ENCOUNTERS
There's no real plot, just a series of fun and funny
situations that give "Bye Bye, Love" a bright
personality. For example, the divorced parents
often seek out a neutral place to trade their kids for
those alternating weekends -- a McDonald's chock
full of single parents and their shuttling children.
Quaid has the best material to work with, and
delivers with clout. His blind-date scene is a riot, as
are his contentious moments with a pompous radio
talk-show psychiatrist, wonderfully portrayed by
Rob Reiner.
Copyright © 1995 San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved.
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