SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES, like many titles, carries a split meaning. On the one hand it signifies the relationship dilemma faced by its lead characters. At the same time, and with more affection, it references the ‘old times’ cinematic humor stream from which it drinks. It does well by both, making for an enjoyable option to play hooky for a spare 102 minutes. A hit in 1980, the year’s 19th most popular item, reuniting the stars who’d sold an earlier hit in Foul Play, Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. *

“Why the hell did you ever say”I do” to me when you’re still saying “I did” to him?”

California. Divorced writer ‘Nick Gardenia’ (Chase) is kidnapped from his isolated pad in Big Sur by a pair of bank robbers who use him as a forced accomplice in a holdup. Ejected (at velocity) from their getaway car, he makes his way to the home of his ex-wife ‘Glenda’ (Hawn), now happily married to ‘Ira Parks’ (Charles Grodin), a D.A. poised to become the State’s Attorney General. Banged up from his tumble (a stuntman took one heckuva rolling fall down a hillside) and with his mug on camera from the stickup, Nick beseeches help from Glenda, and tirelessly tries to re-woo her in the bargain. She rebuffs that while trying to stash him from the cops (and her husband), but sympathy weighs in, as well as duty—she’s a defense attorney.

Smoothly directed by Jay Sandrich (much TV, this his only feature film), Neil Simon’s screenplay (his 15th) owes some dues to the screwball era in general and in particular to 1942’s The Talk Of The Town, with Cary Grant, Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman. Big oxfords and heels to fit into, but the deft leads do so skillfully, their individual styles meshing with the characters and their mutual rapport ensuring that Simon’s barrage of quips and situations register a steady supply of smiles and laughs, with fun versions of classic setups like bedroom hideaways, mystified spouses, ruined dinner parties and a courtroom with an exasperated judge. The supporting cast is keyed in; kudos to a neat ‘spunky maid/cook’ part nabbed by Yvonne Wilder, 29 years after drawing grins as ‘Consuelo’ in West Side Story. And breezy T.K. Carter (who would soon face The Thing) earns his share of chuckles as Goldie’s laid-back chauffeur. A special shout-out goes to animal trainer Scott Hart, who worked wonders with the half-dozen dogs that swirl around the Park’s residence; their behavior so synchronized you could mistake it for CGI.  Marvin Hamlisch conjured a pleasing score, sort of an ‘easy listening’ situation that’s actually easy to listen to; he smartly doesn’t make it cutesy-intrusive.

“There are some things a man has to do alone. This is not one of them so I’m going for help.”

The gross receipts tagged $44,000,000, and the #19 placement also tagged spot #11 among a throng of nearly five dozen comedies, which included Goldie scoring majorly in Private Benjamin and Chevy winging a drive shot in Caddyshack (and an unfortunate sand trap known as Oh! Heavenly Dog).  Hawn picked up a cool million plus a % of the gross from each of her entries, plus she was executive producer on Private Benjamin, where her bright performance was saluted with an Oscar nomination.

With Robert Guillaume, George Grizzard, Harold Gould, Judd Omen, Marc Alaimo, Joseph Running Fox, Fay Hauser, Bill Zuckert, Jerry Hauser and Chris Lemmon.

* Can’t wheeze’em all—for reasons of her own, esteemed film editor Margaret Booth “hated” this assignment, snipping “I didn’t think clicked” over the Hawn-Chase combo. Two years back she’d been a producer on Foul Play, so perhaps there was some personal issue fouling the play (sorry, it was just laying there). With apologies to Miss Booth (Mutiny On The Bounty, Camille, The Wizard Of Oz, The Way We Were) we beg to differ. I actually prefer this to the (over)lauded The Talk Of The Town. Cut! Print!