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Marsha Mason, Kristy McNichol, James Coco, Joan Hackett, David Dukes ... see more see more... , John Bennett Perry , Kevin Bacon , Guy Boyd , Ed Moore , Byron Webster , Peter Coffield , Mark Schubb , Venida Evans , Birdie M. Hale , Ellen La Gamba , Dan Monahan , Nancy Nagler , Henry Olek , Tom Ormeny , Rebecca Stanley , John Vargas , Michael Ross

Playwright Neil Simon made one of his periodic forays into serious themes with the drama The Gingerbread Lady, and while this screen adaptation adds a bit more wit to the proceedings, it remains a cha... read more read more...nge of pace from his usual breezy comedies. Georgia (Marsha Mason) is a successful actress who has just spent 90 days in a rehab clinic in an effort to beat her addiction to alcohol. A number of crises are waiting for Georgia upon her return; her teenage daughter Polly (Kristy McNichol), whom she neglected as a child, wants to move back in, though they still have a ways to go in repairing their relationship. And her ex-husband David (David Dukes), a writer, has just penned a new drama that he wants her to star in -- a fictionalized version of their often-combative marriage. Georgia also has to tend to her best friends, bitter socialite Toby (Joan Hackett) and Jimmy (James Coco), a gay actor who drowns his sorrows in food. Only When I Laugh garnered Oscar nominations for Mason, Coco, and Hackett, while the latter won a Golden Globe for her performance. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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38% liked it

659 ratings

Critics

50% liked it

6 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Glenn Jordan

Release Date: September 25, 1981

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DVD Release Date: September 23, 2003

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Stats: 25 reviews

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Only When I Laugh Marsha Mason in Only When I Laugh Only When I Laugh Only When I Laugh Marsha Mason & Neil Simon in Only When I Laugh Marsha Mason in Only When I Laugh Marsha Mason in Only When I Laugh Kristy McNichol in Only When I Laugh James Coco & Marsha Mason in Only When I Laugh James Coco in Only When I Laugh Joan Hackett in Only When I Laugh James Coco, Joan Hackett & Marsha Mason in Only When I Laugh Only When I Laugh Joan Hackett in Only When I Laugh
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Flixster Reviews (25)

  • ajv2688
    January 11, 2011
    ajv2688
    This starts out as a good drama about a mother and daughter, but it gets more and more predictable as it goes on. The actors are good, and I like theatre themed movies, but this one is just okay.
  • The80sExpert
    August 31, 2010
    The80sExpert
    Although this film has the word laugh in the title it is not a comedy, it's a drama. It's a pretty good drama too, it's a slice of life type story about an actress and her daughter. The movie starts out good, but then you realize how predictable it is, and that it's not so good... read more. Overall, it's an okay movie, though, Simon is a good writer.

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Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
January 11, 2008
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Neil Simon reworked his play Gingerbread Lady for this tale of alcoholic actress (real wife Marsha Mason) and precocious daughter, but the result is just as stagy, schmaltzy and predictable, with the ... Full Review

Steve Crum
July 13, 2005
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Belabored Neil Simon script with Marsha Mason.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
January 31, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Only When I Laugh is a film about family ties, friendship and coping in a competitive world. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

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Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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Vincent Canby
August 30, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

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Chuck O'Leary
September 8, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

No review available.

Philip Martin
February 7, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

January 26, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

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