this movie could not have been any better. not a big Ellyn Burstyn fan, but hey, she rocked this movie. Alan Alda is so perfect in his role. Ellen too. The changes they go through and the depth of the characters is surely one of the most interesting of all movies. My hubby always hated this movie because it's about cheating spouses, but that does happen in real life, so i couldn't really discount it because of that.anyway, go see it, rent it, whatever. it's extremely witty and clever. will have you crying a bit at the end.just the montage scenes from the 60s-70s and the gorgeous theme song are worth watching the movie over and over. but in addition, you get the superb style and acting that are this movie.

We have enjoyed watching this movie made from a play every time we have watched it.The story line holds true for today as well or even better than when we first saw the movie back in 1978.We laughed a lot and even cried a little as these two adulterous lovers unfolded the story of their long term love affair for us.This is real grown-up humor that survives as fresh and bright every time you view the movie.Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn are superb and perfectly cast as basically the only characters. Their dialog is rich and full of fun, real humor, real tragedy and real human interaction.Can not recommend this movie more highly.

An adulterous couple meet at the same cabin every year for a weekend tryst (we see them every five years), while the world's fashions, morals and mores change around them. Ellen Burstyn repeats her Broadway triumph on the screen, and garnered an Oscar nod for Best Actress; though she's a terrific actress, this role doesn't allow Burstyn any real personality: it's all processed, from the costume and wig changes down to the mannerisms, from youthful girlishness to flip, knowing womanhood. Opposite her, Alan Alda is serviceable though rather uncomfortable, flailing away at little sitcom routines like a fish caught in a net. The sex talk between the two is queasy (despite being played for big laughs), halting the movie in its tracks. There's a love ballad that plays prior to every new chapter, and black-and-white stills representing the passing years, and this is all fine until we get back to that damn cabin. Playwright/screenwriter Bernard Slade doesn't write for the ages, he's too impatient and wants to wring laughter out of every set-up. Therefore, the film is sniggering instead of intuitive, and artificially sentimental instead of human. ** from ****

This movie, like "Bridges of Madison County", is about a couple of cheaters. They meet one weekend a year to break their marriage vows. Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda are likable people, so that makes it appear alright, but the harm that it does to their spouses and their marriages is never shown. Since they are essentially the only two characters in the movie, they appear to be together a lot, but it's really only for a weekend at a time. If they were really in love, they wouldn't be content with one weekend a year. Movies like this are immoral, since they glorify adultery and make it seem like it's a perfectly normal thing to do. They make a mockery of the marriage vows.