I, for one, love Head Over Heels more than the newer release of CSOW. I loved the choices the director made with camera angles in telling the story - halting to allow the protagonist to talk directly to the camera. It was a brilliant and witty film, and Heard was so good I actually felt his pain of pining away over a lost love. There was so many memorable characters in addition to Charles' mom: the stepfather; the office worker, Betty; the boss; the roommate; the sister and her fiancé; Laura's ex-husband.I loved this movie, and I would love to get a copy of the original Head Over Heels version. I liked the original ending much better.Why this movie didn't win a plethora of awards is beyond me.Valerie

more aptly describes this gem of a movie. Not on cable as much as lesser films, unfortunately.John Heard is excellent as the unrequited lover, pursuing Laura, a woman in a mediocre marriage, on-again off-again.What is nice about this film is it sort of imitates life: things happen for no reason, odd characters (Gloria Grahame as mom is very good) People with their own quirks and problems. This was filmed in Salt Lake City Utah, and gives us a nice backdrop of emotion, estranged relationships, hopes for the future.Peter Riegert (amusing as the unemployed jacket salesman with a physics background). John Heard is quirky and sympathetic at his office job, where he pours a cup of vodka for himself, trying to figure out how to win Laura back. Mary Beth Hurt is also believable, as a confused woman on the fence about her marriage to an A-frame salesman named "Ox".Joan Micklin Silver is to be commended for her direction in this film. Oddly, I also reviewed an LMN movie she directed, "Hunger Point" with Barbara Hershey. I enjoyed that film. The director seemed to add touches of humanity into that film as well. "Chilly Scenes of Winter" is not to be missed, a nice human film which anyone who has wondered why they can't just have a "normal life", will relate to and enjoy. 9/10.

I first saw this film in Berkeley around 1982 or '83, wasn't aware until now that it had been made 3 years earlier. At the time, I had already read and was a fan of Beattie's Chilly Scenes of Winter, upon which this is based, and was confused as to why Silver had retitled it "Head Over Heels", but it's not uncommon, and I thoroughly enjoyed the film, especially as it was true to the book. I then heard that Silver had been unsatisfied with the ending, re-cut it for video, and changed the name back to "Chilly Scenes of Winter". I rented the video to see the changes, and discovered that she had cut the last ten minutes or so of the film, which totally changed it from the way the book ends, and, incidentally, lessens the quality of the film. Thus, it went from a 9 to an 8 for me. As for the previous poster, Mary Beth Hurt was in fact in a relationship with William Hurt, to whom John Heard bears a resemblance; MB and William were married for 10 years.

This is the only American movie I have ever seen that captures the rhythms & nuances of a real "relationship" with perfect pitch. Funny, sad & very rich, perfectly cast, sublimely written, brilliantly directed. I watch it as often as I can & am always delighted. Like listening to a Beethoven sonata.